What is the luxury division of Toyota?

Lexus is the luxury division of Toyota.

Lexus is Toyota Motor Corporation’s luxury vehicle division and a Japanese premium automotive brand. Toyota created the project that became Lexus in the 1980s to develop a flagship car capable of competing with established European luxury manufacturers in international markets, especially the United States.

The project was code-named F1, short for “Flagship One.” It produced the Lexus LS 400, which debuted at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit in January 1989. U.S. sales began later that year through a new network of Lexus dealerships. The brand initially emphasized quiet operation, engineering quality, refinement, and customer service.

Lexus is often confused with Acura or Infiniti because those are also Japanese luxury marques: Acura belongs to Honda, while Infiniti belongs to Nissan. Lexus did not launch as a distinct brand in Japan until 2005; before then, several vehicles sold overseas as Lexus models were marketed domestically under Toyota names.