Lexus Australia says the supply line of a number of its models is improving significantly and looks to get better as the months progress.
The luxury car brand has suffered from long delays and wait times for customers for the last 18-24 months but has managed to convince head office in Japan to supply a larger allocation of models for our market, with wait times for popular models set to reduce.
Lexus had its best April on record with 1274 sales (the second best month for the brand in general and up from just 552 in April 2022) and while Lexus Australia boss John Pappas says breaking records isn’t a priority for the brand, the easing of model supply will no doubt make that an achievable possibility this year.
“Volume is always important but not interested in records, our single mind focus is about delivering a benchmark luxury experience,” Pappas said at the launch of the new Lexus RZ this week.
“Our improved supply enables our dealer network to have a more positive conversation with our customers… More vehicles more quickly”
Lexus says there is a massive injection of stock for the brand this year, including hybrid vehicles (which along with PHEV and BEVs, made up 46 per cent of Lexus sales last year).
The average wait time for Lexus vehicles has now been reduced to between four to eight months. Numerous models are set to benefit from this stock injection, with at least 5000 Lexus NX models expected to arrive in 2023, and UX300e wait times reduced to six-eight months.
The ever-in-demand Lexus LX wait times have also been reduced, but are still at an incredible 18 months. Some vehicles like the NX350h remain in tight supply.
Pappas says that while Lexus Australia has done all its can to source more vehicles from Japan, it’s also taking matters into its own hands and making sure customers waiting are benefitting from being part of the Lexus family with selected owners to be set to benefit from Lexus “encore owner benefits” when waiting beyond five months.
The company is also trialling a subscription system called Lexus Now, allowing selected dealers to be able to facilitate the use of available Lexus vehicles for customers waiting for their new car.
This fills a gap for those waiting on the arrival of their new Lexus, allowing them to stay with the brand as part of the ownership experience. The service will be provided as a fee but the brand claims it provides a flexible alternative to leasing, given its short-term availability.
