Considering the current climate of the US automotive market, Lexus US sales projections for 2008 are near identical to the 2007 totals.
Lexus General Manager Mark Templin, speaking with the Free Press, announced that Lexus hopes to move 330,000 vehicles in 2008:
Lexus was the best-selling luxury brand in the United States in 2007 with 329,177 vehicles, up 2.1% from the year before.
“If I sell 1,000 more cars this year, I’d be happy,” Templin said.
The Lexus IS F, a 416-horespower V8 sedan due out soon, should attract driving enthusiasts but not necessarily large volumes, Templin said.
A relatively modest goal, considering, but given the forecasts for this year’s car-buying market, the company may struggle to maintain 2007’s level of output.
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Also addressed in the interview was the LF-A’s production status (still no decision) and the dedicated Lexus hybrid announced by Toyota President Katsuaki Watanabe:
Lexus plans to unveil a hybrid-only model at the 2009 Detroit show. The decision to go with a hybrid-only Lexus was supported by sales data on the Toyota Prius, Templin said.
In 2007, 62,000 Prius buyers, or about one-third of all Prius customers, had annual incomes of more than $100,000. “We think there’s an untapped segment of the market,” Templin said.
[Source: The Free Press]