TOKYO — Marble flooring, orchids and bowing receptionists welcome customers at the Lexus car dealerships that opened Tuesday in Japan, marking the introduction of Toyota's luxury brand in its home market 16 years after the cars were introduced in the United States.
Sales staff received training much like they would get at a five-star hotel to cater to picky Japanese drivers — a very different experience from what Americans get at U.S. Lexus showrooms, according to Toyota Motor Corp.
New Lexus owners receive their purchase in a special "presentation room" with a wall-to-wall mirror that allows the proud drivers to admire themselves, and the dealer may give buyers a bouquet of flowers or golf balls for that personal touch.
"We want our customers to be moved by the whole experience," said general manager Yukihiro Fujimori, a former Toyota dealer who acknowledged that shifting from his past aggressive sales push took some adjusting.
Fujimori's showroom, one of more than 140 Lexus dealers opening nationwide, is in an upper-class Tokyo suburb, where imports such as BMW and Mercedes Benz are popular.
The challenge for Toyota is stealing some market share from that luxury import market, where annual sales have stayed flat at about 270,000 cars, according to the Japan Automobile Importers Association.
Lexus still lacks brand-name recognition in Japan, though through travel more people are aware of its overseas reputation.
Japanese consumers, who typically shun flashy cars, are slowly becoming more individualistic.
"It will take time, and it's not going to be easy," said Fujimori. -->
Japan's No. 1 automaker has previously sold Lexus models in Japan under the Toyota brand, although the cars are slightly different from the new Lexus models. This is the first time the company is offering them under the Lexus name — and its accompanying luxury image, with prices to match.
The SC430 convertible runs as much as 6.8 million yen ($61,000) — and that excludes all the options.
"This feels more like a cultural center than a car dealer. It looks like a museum," said 50-year-old Tetsuyuki Hirano, who runs an architectural design company and is thinking about buying a Lexus GS430 for his wife.