As prepared for: 

Los Angeles Auto Show
Wednesday, November 19, 2014
Jeff Bracken, Group Vice President and General Manager, Lexus

Good afternoon everybody and thank you for joining us. 
 
This year …Lexus is celebrating the brand’s 25^th anniversary. 
 
It’s hard to believe that a quarter of a century ago …our LS400 announced our arrival to the luxury car market …helping put Lexus on the map.
 
In 1989 … Lexus entered the luxury market with our flagship LS sedan.
 
Since then … we’ve had quite a ride. 
 
Some highlights include:
 
• In 1998 … We launched the RX300 inventing the now thriving luxury crossover category…
 
• Our interest in the environment had us pioneer luxury hybrid vehicles … today we have six in our lineup … the most of any luxury brand… with even more advanced technology to come …
 
• And … we appreciate the recognition received for our quality and customer service. 
 
Of course we're very proud of our dealers as they redefined the luxury car shopping experience …and have ranked number one in the J.D. Power and Associates’  Customer Satisfaction Index for a total of 15 years. 
 
Of course there’s much more, but certainly the past 25 years have been very memorable and momentous for the brand … and this year is no different.
 
We recently launched our limited edition Crafted Line by Lexus … and arriving early next month across the country is our all-new to the brand luxury crossover … the NX … featuring our first 2-liter turbo engine offering great performance and efficiency. 
 
Also …all-new to the brand and arriving in dealerships… now … is our coupe …the RC …along with the high performance RC F with a powerful 467 horsepower V8 under the hood.
 
The NX and RC models represent an even more inspired evolution of Lexus design … a result of what happens when designers are encouraged to creatively explore vehicle forms. 
 
You know, at the beginning of this year, we set our sales target at 290,000 units,
 
Our dealers have paced well beyond that figure all year long. 
 
And now, with the RC and NX arriving, and the year-end sales event in full swing, 300,000 units is definitely within our grasp.
 
The NX and RC are just the latest illustration of the brand’s mission of blending expressive design with exceptional engineering.
 
Under the global leadership of Akio Toyoda … Lexus has embraced the mission of evolving the brand through a design and engineering revolution.
 
The road to this goal started a few years ago when we introduced the latest GS sedan with the brand defining Lexus spindle grille…and a driving experience to match.
 
Last year the 3^rd generation IS Sedan launched … this sports sedan helped define the brand’s new design direction to create one of the most appealing vehicles in a very competitive segment … for young luxury buyers.
 
Meanwhile the rising popularity of our F Sport trim levels … with their more aggressive styling cues … have increased the brand’s appeal to a new generation of luxury buyers … as well.
 
Through our product design… Lexus continues to communicate a greater sense of … passion, energy, and exhilaration.
 
And today … we’re here to share with you what happens when we take our signature look …which is critical to our identity in the luxury market … and incorporate it into a fun “what if” concept. 
 
The result is… the LF-C2.
  
This concept celebrates our design identity and kicks it up a notch … actually … make that several notches!     
 
Open top … gorgeous at a glance … and just plain fun… this concept gives you a hint into what the future of Lexus design holds.
 
You'll see even more about our future designs throughout this auto show season as new models make their global debuts. 
 
With our product momentum surging …combined with the focus our dealers have to deliver premiere customer care … we can't wait to embark on our next 25 years and beyond.
 
Thank you ladies and gentlemen … and I hope you enjoy the rest of the LA Auto Show.