Japanese auto giant Toyota's luxury brand Lexus is all set to kick-start its India operations in India in early 2017. Ahead of the brand introduction, the company has already started bookings for the three-model line-up of Lexus vehicles in the country.
A report in Autocar India says the first dealership of Lexus in India will be open in Mumbai ahead of the brand introduction. To be called as Lexus Boutique, the dealership is expected to come at Taj Santacruz Hotel, situated near to Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport. Lexus will sell RX450h and LX450d SUVs and the ES300h sedan in India and all three models will be imported from Japan in CBU line initially.
Lexus RX450h SUV is the most popular product in the company's portfolio. The Lexus RX450h will be powered by a 3.5-litre V6 petrol engine complemented with a hybrid unit. The powertrain will return 308hp mated to an e-CVT gearbox. The Lexus RX450h will be pitted against Audi Q5 and BMW X3.
The X450d SUV is based on the Toyota Land Cruiser SUV and it is the flagship product of Lexus. The diesel-powered LX450d gets a twin-turbo 4.5-litre V8 diesel engine that develops 269hp and a massive 650Nm of torque. The petrol-powered LX570 is powered by a 5.7-litre V8 engine developing 383hp and 546Nm of torque. The Range Rover, Audi Q7 and the Mercedes GL rivalling Lexus SUV will be priced at around Rs 1.5 crore.
The ES300h is based on the Camry sedan and both car shares a lot of part in common. The sedan will be powered by a 2.5-litre petrol engine and the electric motor assist mated to the same CVT gearbox. This is the same unit that powers the Camry hybrid in India as well.
Apart from the Mumbai dealership, Lexus will open dealerships in Delhi, Gurgaon and Bengaluru in the initial phase. The second set of dealerships is expected to come in Chandigarh, Cochin and Chennai by the end of 2017. Toyota will also set up separate service facility for Lexus vehicles in a planned phase.
