Massive MayMilestones for Lexus
Massive May Milestones for Lexus
Lexus celebrated two major milestones in May, delivering its 200,000th vehicle and marking 35 years since the brand launched in Australia as a disruptor in the luxury market.
On May 15, 1990, the first Lexus customer in Australia took delivery of the breakthrough LS 400 luxury sedan, a car that would later be acclaimed by motoring experts as the Car of the Decade.1
Fittingly, the 200,000th Lexus delivered is also a benchmark vehicle: the RX 450h+, the plug-in hybrid (PHEV) version of the popular family SUV, the culmination of almost 20 years of Lexus expertise in pioneering hybrid powertrain technology.
Lexus Australia Chief Executive John Pappas says the month of May now holds even more significance for the carmaker that burst onto the Australian scene three-and-a-half decades earlier with the promise to redefine luxury.
“Lexus was born a disruptor. Our aim was to make luxury personal with an unrivalled and authentic ownership experience for every customer,” Mr Pappas said.
“At the same, Lexus set out to establish a new benchmark for vehicle quality through our famed Japanese Takumi craftsmanship and peerless attention to detail.
“We have not deviated from either commitment, which is reflected today in Lexus having the strongest customer loyalty2 and highest satisfaction of any luxury brand in Australia3.”
Lexus launched locally with a solitary model, the now iconic LS 400. Today, Lexus offers a suite of luxury vehicles across all key segments, with no fewer than 11 compelling models.
Lexus also offers customer a choice of intelligent powertrains – fully-electric (BEV), plug-in hybrid (PHEV), efficient and performance hybrids (HEV) and internal combustion engine (ICE) – each with their own performance characteristics to meet the diverse needs of each customer. This is the Lexus multi-pathway approach.
When the original Lexus LS 400 arrived in Australia in May 1990 it completely changed the definition of luxury.
The RX luxury family SUV immediately struck a chord with buyers when it arrived in Australia in 2003, and has since become a favourite model.
The 2006 GS 450h introduced powerful and efficient electrified luxury to Australian customers. Fast forward to 2025 and nearly four out of every five Lexus vehicles sold has an electrified powertrain.
The IS Line brought a new type of dynamism to the Lexus line-up, personified by the IS F, the first F-branded Lexus model.
Since arriving in Australia in 2014, the NX medium SUV has been the luxury lifestlye brand’s best-selling model every year since 2015.
The LBX Luxury and Sports Luxury hybrid city SUV showcases Lexus style and sophistication in its most compact form yet.
Beyond a disruptor, Lexus has also showcased its innovation.
It was Lexus that created the ‘luxury SUV’ segment when in 1998 it showed the world the RX – a vehicle that would inspire a new style of luxury mobility.
The RX was designed from the ground-up to combine the best features of a luxury sedan with the practicality of a crossover, adding sophistication to the pursuit of urban and mild off-road adventure.
The RX arrived in Australia in second-generation form in 2003, and together with the NX launched in 2014, the pair account for almost half (45 per cent) of the 200,345 Lexus vehicles sold locally.
Innovation continued with Lexus the first luxury brand to introduce electrified powertrain technology on a range of vehicles as a way to boost vehicle performance, while reducing CO2 tailpipe emissions compared to similar petrol-only engines.
The first Lexus offered with a hybrid powertrain in Australia was the GS 450h, the world’s first hybrid luxury sedan, in May 2006; followed in September by the RX 400h, the world’s first luxury hybrid SUV.
Lexus remains at the forefront of hybrid-electric technology, continuing to engineer superior performance into everyday driving.
Examples include the RX 500h F Sport Performance. The flagship RX features a turbocharged 2.4-litre four-cylinder performance hybrid system delivering 273kW, a power output normally the preserve of twin-turbocharged V6 and naturally-aspirated V8 competitors which use more fuel.
More than 60,000 of the 200,345 Lexus vehicles delivered to date are either HEV, PHEV or BEV as more customers embrace the benefits of electrified mobility.
The percentage of customers opting for an electrified Lexus in 2022 was 46.2 per cent, in 2023 it was 60.4 percent, in 2024 it was 74.5 per cent and so far in 2025 almost four out of every five (78.6 per cent) customers are on an electrified journey.
It took Lexus 25 years to record its first 100,000 deliveries – the second coming in just 10.
Lexus is well placed for the future through its multi-pathway approach. The Lexus lineup will be strengthened further over the next 12 months with the introduction of a more powerful RZ BEV and the highly-anticipated and elegantly designed ES with the latest in battery-electric powertrain technology.
Lexus by the numbers:
Delivery Milestones:
1992: 1,000
1999: 10,000
2003: 20,000
2008: 50,000
2015: 100,000
2021: 150,000
2025: 200,000
Key Models:
LS: The first Lexus, and the only Lexus to be sold uninterrupted for 35 years.
ES: The first Lexus to sell 1,000 units in a single year (1997). Accumulating 15,216 deliveries to date.
GS: The first Lexus offered in Australia with a hybrid powertrain. 7,050 deliveries across the lineup in its lifecycle.
IS: IS F introduces sports sedan performance. IS offered seven powertrains across its time. 46,130 deliveries.
RC: Two-door, rear-drive coupe with V8 is a revered classic. 2,536 deliveries across the RC range.
LFA: The most exclusive Lexus of all. Australia allocated 10 units.
LX: The undisputed king of luxury off-roading. 8,795 deliveries to date.
RX: The world’s first luxury crossover vehicle. The most popular Lexus in Australia with 48,027 deliveries to date.
NX: A game-changer for Lexus. The best-selling Lexus every year from its first full year of sales.
UX: UX 300e is the first Lexus BEV. UX lineup surpasses 10,000 deliveries in 2025.
LBX: Lexus DNA in compact form. Redefines small-car luxury. Over 2,500 deliveries since launching just over 12 months ago.
RZ: The first dedicated BEV from Lexus.
LM: The ultimate expression in Japanese omotenashi.
Electrified Powertrains to end of May 20254
HEV: 59,041
PHEV: 1,240
BEV: 858
