Lexus still optimistic on 2019 sales

MARGARET RIVER – Lexus Manila hopes to at least match 2018’s car sales by the end of the year as the company hopes to finally reverse the sales decline seen last year.

In an interview on the sidelines of the 2019 Western Australia Gourmet Escape held here, Lexus Manila president Raymond Rodriguez said the company hopes to sell as much as it sold last year, coming from a high base in 2017 sales.

Lexus is the luxury arm of top Japanese carmaker Toyota.

In the Philippines, the company sold 1,251 units in 2017 as the market anticipated higher prices because of the higher taxes imposed on vehicles under the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) Law which took effect in 2018.

The following year, in 2018, Lexus sales fell to 615 units.

“We hope to at least hit the same sales as lear year,” Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez said there are reasons to celebrate for Lexus with the steady demand for hybrid vehicles.

“Sales of our hybrid cars continue to grow. It is no longer difficult to sell hybrid cars. The market is now appreciating hybrid cars,” he said.

Lexus is also aiming to maintain its hold of the sports utility vehicle market in the Philippines through its newly launched RX models.

The company has been dominating the SUV segment in the country, consistently holding the highest market share since 2015.

As of the first half of the year, Lexus had a 28 percent share in the SUV market.

Lexus is a partner of the Western Australia Gourmet Escape held throughout WA from Nov. 8 to 17.

It organized a three-day bespoke culinary and wine journey for its clients across the globe here in Margaret River.

Lexus Manila participated as well and flew in guests from the Philippines including businessmen and celebrities.

No less than its chairman Alfred Ty joined the guests in some of the activities.

He said enabling the guests to participate in the event is the only way to fully understand the experience.

“You really just have to be in it to understand it,” Ty said.

He himself believes in actually going through the experience which is the reason he joined the event albeit only for a quick visit as he also needed to attend to a family situation at home.

Rodriguez for his part said Lexus’ participation in the event is about providing guests the experience of contemporary luxury, consistent with the Lexus covenant which is about providing clients with the finest guest experience and quality products.

Lexus, he said, fully adheres to the Japanese hospitality called Omotenashi.

“We take pride in anticipating and fulfilling customer’s needs in advance. An Omotenashi definition would describe it as Japanese hospitality culture at its finest. ‘Omote’ means public face (the image you wish to present to outsiders) and ‘nashi’ means nothing. Together, it combines to service that comes from the bottom of the heart – honest, no hiding, no pretending. The origin of this spirit lies in the Japanese tea ceremony (sado), where the tea master faces the audience and makes tea right in front of them, open and clear. This is what we practice in Lexus,” Rodriguez said.