While the flagship LS 400 was the breakthrough car for Lexus, in 1998 it showed the RX 300 crossover. This caught the Detroit Three unaware and catapulted the nascent Luxury brand into U.S. luxury sales leadership.
Lexus launched in 1989 with two luxury sedans, one small and the other large aimed directly at the Mercedes-Benz S-class. The full size Lexus LS 400 was priced more than $10,000 under top of the line German offerings in the US. At the time, Lexus made bold claims of superior quality and durability, as well as several years without a marked decrease in the quietness, smooth ride, and exterior and interior finishes of the new line.
These, of course, were scoffed at by other luxury automakers. Honda’s Acura luxury line had debuted previously, and Nissan introduced its Infiniti line with a performance emphasis and a controversial “Rocks and Trees” marketing campaign that emphasized the Japanese heritage of the vehicles.
