Lexus Posts Best-Ever May Sales; Passenger Car Sales Up 74.1 Percent

    TORRANCE, Calif., June 1 Today Lexus reported best-ever
May sales of 20,281, up 19.9 percent from May 2000.  Year-to-date sales of
90,625 outpaced last year by 17.0 percent.
    Passenger car sales continue to surge with May sales of 12,513 units, an
increase of 74.1 percent from last year.  The new-for-2001 LS 430 premium
luxury sedan posted sales of 2,807, up 183.0 percent from a year ago.  The ES
300 entry-luxury sedan had an excellent month with 3,637 units sold, an
increase of 4.0 percent from May 2000.  The hot-selling, all-new SC 430
convertible hardtop ended the month with sales of 1,288, while the
performance-oriented IS 300 sport sedan posted sales of 2,285.  GS 430/300
high-performance sport sedan sales of 2,496 were down a slight 5.0 percent.
Year-to-date passenger car sales of 55,749 were up 65.4 percent.
    "In economic times like these, it pays to have quality products and a
reputation for value and customer service," commented Denny Clements, Lexus
group vice president and general manager.  "With the addition of three new
cars in a year and customers' confidence in what Lexus has to offer, our sales
are stronger than ever."
    After two years of phenomenal sales performance, RX 300 mid-size luxury
sport utility vehicle (SUV) sales have leveled off at a very respectable 6,990
units in May, down 16.7 percent from last year.  The LX 470 premium luxury SUV
ended the month with 778 units sold, down 41.8 percent from 2000.
    The Lexus Certified Pre-Owned program reached record-setting levels in May
with best-ever sales of 2,977, up 26 percent from last year.  Overall
pre-owned sales of 5,446 were up 32 percent from last May and also set an
all-time record for the luxury nameplate.