Big red bows and the “December to Remember” tagline of year-end Lexus ads have become as much a part of the holiday season as lawn ornaments and tacky sweaters. But the upscale brand has less to celebrate this year in the U.S., with sales flat and few new vehicles to showcase.
Thirty years after its debut shocked established German automakers, demand for Toyota Motor Corp.’s luxury brand has stalled, with sales on track to trail BMW and Mercedes-Benz. Once the unquestioned leader of the pack, it hasn’t taken the top slot in the U.S. since 2010. Its market share of 13 percent is down from a peak of 18.2 percent a decade ago, according to car-shopping researcher Edmunds.
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