The Japanese luxury car brand launched by Toyota in 1989 is Lexus.
Lexus began as Toyota’s ambitious move into the international premium-car market. The project started in 1983 under the code name F1, with engineers developing a quiet, refined V8 sedan aimed primarily at buyers in the United States. The resulting Lexus LS 400 debuted in 1989 alongside the smaller ES 250.
Toyota created a separate brand and dealership network rather than simply selling the cars as Toyotas. That distinction helped Lexus compete with established European luxury manufacturers such as Mercedes-Benz and BMW. The launch became known for meticulous engineering, unusually quiet operation and strong value compared with similarly priced rivals.
A useful historical detail is that Lexus was not introduced as a separate marque in Japan until 2005. Before then, equivalent vehicles were sold domestically under Toyota names such as Celsior and Aristo. The brand is therefore Toyota-owned, but Lexus is not merely a model name: it is Toyota Motor Corporation’s luxury vehicle division.