Lexus was conceived as a North American brand, utilising top of the range Toyota models. Lexus arrived in the US in 1989 and it gradually expanded beyond North America. Toyota is a name so revered in Japan it wasn't deemed necessary to have a distinctive brand there so wasn't introduced there.
It finally made its debut in Japan for the year 2005 but it wasn't that successful. It was outsold by both Mercedes and BMW for some years. It passed the latter in 2019 and likewise Mercedes in 2023 to become the top selling premium brand in its homeland.
Looking at regions, North America still takes over 40% of all Lexus cars sold. Asia was accounting for a third of sales but so far in 2023 just a quarter, lower sales in China are the reason for that. Japan has suddenly moved up 11.5 percentage points! That's why it's become the top premium brand in Japan.
As for the rest, Europe is a very disappointing 8.4% of sales. German premium marques chase volume in ways Lexus isn't. The Middle East has had an unturn and has been closing in on Europe.
Data source: Toyota Group.
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