Toyota’s VP in Europe, Thierry Dombreval, acknowledges that the hybrid theme is now a characteristic of the marque and allows Lexus to target a segment in Europe that the Germans cannot satisfy with their current offerings.
Lexus sales in Europe have increased substantially with the introduction of the GS450h sedan and RX400h SUV. Last year, it managed to sell 36,600 cars across Europe, which was a jump of 72% over the previous year, and one in four of the cars sold was a hybrid. Diesel is another route that Lexus plans to follow, but the main goal of the Japanese label is to gain market share from its German competitors by competing in the hybrid niche.
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