---

Lexus Sets All-Time Monthly Sales Record

1 September 1998

Lexus Sets All-Time Monthly Sales Record

                Year-to-Date Sales Surpass Entire 1997 Total,
                   23,609 RX 300s Delivered in Five Months

    TORRANCE, Calif., Sept. 1 -- The Lexus Division of Toyota
Motor Sales, U.S.A. set an all-time monthly sales record of 16,949 in August,
an improvement of 52.5 percent over the same period last year.  August sales
surpassed the previous Lexus record of 14,673, set just a month before. In
July, Lexus was the best-selling luxury brand in the U.S. for the first time
in its nine-year-history, outselling Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Cadillac and Lincoln.
    1998 calendar-year-to-date sales of 100,000 surpassed total 1997 sales of
97,593, the previous all-time annual sales record for the luxury car make.
This calendar-year-to-date pace represents a 54.6 percent increase from last
year.  All-time Lexus monthly sales records have been posted four times in
1998, as the luxury brand experiences unprecedented growth due to successful
new model introductions. Annual sales are projected to increase by more than
60 percent in just two years.
    "Customers are finding innovative and stylish new models like the RX 300,
GS Series and LX 470 irresistible," commented Lexus Group Vice President and
General Manager Bryan Bergsteinsson.  "And with the industry's best luxury car
value, superb quality and unsurpassed customer satisfaction, any Lexus is a
risk-free investment."
    August's torrid sales pace was led by the new RX 300 sport utility
vehicle, which sold 5,455, its best month to date.  In just five months since
launch, more than 23,609 have been delivered to customers, making the
innovative luxury SUV the luxury carmaker's best-selling model.
    The LX 470 premium sport utility vehicle makes Lexus the only full-line
luxury make with two SUVs. The LX, with sales of 1,300 in August, combined
with the RX 300 for at total of 6,755 luxury SUVs, representing nearly 40
percent of Lexus Division volume.
    Lexus passenger car sales also showed healthy gains.  The exceptional
value of the ES 300 sedan helped it post its best sales month for 1998, with
4,857 sold in the highly competitive near-luxury segment.  The LS 400 prestige
luxury sedan also enjoyed its best month of the year, with sales of 2,080.
Calendar-year-to-date sales for the LS 400 are up nearly 11.9 percent.
    Launched last October, the high-performance GS sport sedan series sold
2,964 in August, an increase of 15 percent over the month before. The V8-
powered GS 400 sold 825 units, with 2,139 GS 300s adding to the total. Sales
of the SC 400 and SC 300 coupes added 293 units to the August totals.