Lexus USA has announced a major change to their executive structure — current general manager and executive vice president Jeff Bracken is set to retire at the end of this summer, and will be succeeded by Lexus USA vice president of sales David Christ.
Bracken’s tenure as Lexus GM began in 2013, just as the brand was rolling out its signature spindle grille and pushing performance as a key pillar of its vehicles. Bracken has overseen the recent launch of the LC coupe and LS sedan, the return of Lexus to racing with the RC F GT3, and the introduction of Lexus Plus, a dealer-driven alternative to retailing.
New GM Christ has been with Toyota since 1994, holding several managerial positions at regional sales offices for Toyota Motor Sales. Most recently, Christ was VP of sales operations at both Toyota Financial Services and Toyota before joining Lexus earlier this year in the same role.
Christ had this to say about his new position in a brief statement to Automotive News:
“This is a tremendous opportunity for me to be a part of the Lexus brand into its fourth decade,” Christ said in an e-mailed statement. “All of us at Lexus constantly challenge the way we think and that’s apparent in our new exciting products like the LC 500 sports coupe, LS 500 flagship sedan, and the upcoming ES 350 luxury sedan.
“I’m looking forward to continuing that mindset so we can develop even better luxury vehicles, as well as working with our 240 dealers to create amazing experiences for our guests. Lexus has a bright future and I’m excited to be a part of it.”
Replacing Christ as Lexus VP of sales operations is Dejuan Ross, who joins Lexus from his role as general manager of Toyota’s Chicago region. Ross joined Toyota in 1995, and was previously the general manager of the Lexus Central region.
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