Meet the Latest Lexus Sales Millionaire: The IS

By adpock - September 12, 2016

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Remember back in 1999 when Lexus first introduced everybody’s favorite compact sports sedan, the IS? No, well, neither do I, but we’re forgiven, considering that wasn’t even in this millennium. But those 17-year-old cars still count when tallying the IS’s worldwide total sales, which just reached quite the impressive milestone.

Lexus recently announced the sale of their millionth IS model. Which, any way you stack it, is one heck of an accomplishment.

As the third Lexus to hit the European market, after the LS and GS, the IS took aim at the German stalwarts dominating the landscape, particularly Mercedes-Benz and BMW. That market share has grown significantly over the years, as European sales now account for 20% of the IS’s total global tally. Upon its latest redesign, the car was even named Britain’s Best New Car by Auto Express.

The IS was also originally intended to attract a younger audience to the Lexus brand, by introducing sleeker styling, a peppy 2-liter straight-six, and rear-wheel drive. And it remained competitive, especially after the next gen remodel was introduced at the Geneva auto show in 2005.

Now well into the third generation, Lexus still relies on the IS to excel in one of the most competitive segments around. The IS is currently marketed in over 70 countries, and accounts for more than 6,000 sale units every month. So I guess we’ll be on the lookout for 2-million sales soon, hopefully sometime well before 2033.