Issue link: http://viewer.e-digitaleditions.com/i/131994
alltorque Karl Peskett looks into the shake-up that propelled the Lexus GS into the limelight. luxe export The year was 1989. Luxury car sales had been dominated by German manufacturers for so long that complacency had set in. It was time to give the market a shake-up. Toyota, the world's biggest car exporter, took a gamble – a big one – and challenged the combined might of BMW, MercedesBenz and Audi by launching a luxury division, Lexus. Neither Toyota nor Lexus will confirm this, but the name apparently stands for 'Luxury EXport to the United States'. That was the game plan; the first Lexus model, the LS, stormed American shores and made massive headway. Within two years, it had taken the crown from Mercedes-Benz as the bestselling imported luxury car in the US. The gamble had paid off. The secret to Lexus' success was offering a bank-vault build and world-beating customer service. Walking into a Lexus dealership, you were treated like royalty, 42 which remains the case to this day. JD Power and Associates, the immortal arbiter of satisfaction and dependability, ranked Lexus as the number-one car maker for 14 consecutive years. The list of awards Lexus has received since its inception makes for some mind-numbingly boring reading – the same accolades, year after year. The Teutonic trio wasn't going to take it lying down, so an offensive has gathered pace over the years. Competition is fiercer than ever in the premium mid-size market. Lexus' latest contender, the GS, ups the ante – and right under the Germans' noses. "Driving in Germany was very insightful," said Yosihiko Kanamori, chief engineer of the GS. "When I test-drove competitor cars and the previous GS on the autobahn, I was able to reconfirm the essential elements for a vehicle like the GS." Kanamori asked the entire organisation for feedback on what the GS should be. Good thing he did – the result is spectacular. Above, and right: Lexus itself is enamoured of the new "dramatically sculpted spindle grille" of the GS; the plush leather seats exude quality.