The following is a message from Andrew Kirby, general manager of Lexus global product & marketing planning in Japan, who will be taking over for Karl Schlicht in addressing Lexus Enthusiast readers directly from time to time.
Dear Lexus Enthusiasts,
Continuing from where Karl left off, I would like to provide some thoughts from inside Lexus — we appreciate your enthusiastic support of the brand, and hope to provide insights as events unfold.
For some background: I’m a South African who has spent my entire career in the motor industry, first working in South Africa, the US and now in Japan, where I’m part of the team growing the Lexus brand globally. I’m enjoying the opportunity, along with building my understanding of the Japanese culture and country.
Much has been said about the NY Auto Show and the reveal of the new ES, with positive responses on the extra space, the addition of a hybrid model and its styling. With the new ES 250 debuting at the Beijing Motor show last week, we will have a three model line-up globally with the ES 350, ES 300h and ES 250 accompanied with some healthy volume forecasts.
It’s been an active year so far, with the LF-LC concept car, face-lifted LX and RX and the new ES being revealed and strong demand building on the new GS. And that’s not all, so you can look forward to more news during the latter half of the year.
As always, we look forward to your comments and ideas on how Lexus can be improved, and I’m pleased to announce that the Lexus Ideas Engine project is now live, and will run to the end of May. If you have ideas relating to our products and brand, this is the place to share your thoughts. I’m looking forward to reading what you have to say, so that together we can make Lexus even stronger.
Andrew Kirby is the general manager of the Lexus worldwide product and marketing planning division, which was formed two years ago to help guide the brand globally. www.lexus-global.com
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