Lexus has timed its hybrid run to perfection. The Japanese luxury brand has boosted itself to become the biggest improver among the traditional prestige marques in recent years. According to data from industry statistician VFACTS, Lexus more than doubled its 2022 sales last year.
That achievement has been driven by sales of Australia’s most popular luxury car, the Lexus NX – a mid-size SUV where hybrid and plug-in hybrid account for nearly half of sales. The trend has continued throughout 2024 with the NX maintaining its number one spot up until the end of September – more than 1000 units ahead of Audi’s Q3, followed by BMW X1 and X3 duo. Last year about 60 per cent of NXs were hybrid or plug-in hybrid, and that has risen to 75 per cent this in 2024.
The most popular seller is the 350h, which starts from $78,560 drive-away for the front-wheel drive version and more than $83,400 for the all-wheel drive. A Lexus spokesman said the luxury marque had taken a “multi-pathway approach” to drivetrains and customers had the best of both worlds with hybrid through financial savings and reducing their carbon footprint. “It’s the sensible choice for many consumers.
They are looking for something that makes sense from an ownership perspective,” he said. “We are still developing our electric infrastructure as a nation. Hybrids appeal to the rational and emotional side.
” But the nation’s leading prestige performer is BMW. The Bavarian brand overtook Mercedes-Benz las.