A Japanese luxury brand? Doubters scoffed -- but not for long

The first Lexus LS 400 and chief engineer Ichiro Suzuki: Reviews were good when the car debuted in 1989 (1988 photo)

By:

Jim Henry

October 29, 2007 05:00 AM

It seems like a quaint notion today, but when Toyota launched the Lexus brand in 1989, one of the central issues it faced was whether Americans would even consider a Japanese luxury brand.

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