Carmaker1

Hmm, that's a point right there I guess. Most of those colonial ties have been long gone anyway and only the locals are RR customers, save for a few oil expatriates.

I only stress this, as most of everyone (luxury-wise) seems to be there except Lexus, Acura, and Infiniti. Lexus has been a well respected brand in Nigeria for the past 20+ years, yet many still undergo the hassle of importation from other continents. Population and economic growth wise, the market is there. I don't see how some regions Lexus sells in outside of the US and Japan, are even entirely high-volume anyway (in not offering diesel).

I understand Acura and Infiniti being hesitant, but Toyota should take that into account the level of sales they already gather there and the fact many willingly pay $45-50k for a Camry, $70-80k for a Toyota Prado, and $100k for a Land Cruiser. Audi has been there for years, alongside BMW, Jaguar, and Land Rover. While this may be off-topic in an RR thread, I have to wonder if they are thinking about expanding into new markets at all.

LexRuger

Rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer.

doge

I agree with you, Lexus needs a presence in Africa. African countries are on the rise and are often over looked. Kenya and Nigeria have done very well for them selves and are experiencing a bit of a boom. With more and more people coming to wealth it is important for Lexus to have a presence early on...

Blackraven

You do realize that your above statement makes no sense given the fact that you are driving a premium luxury car (i.e. Lexus GS)

Carmaker1

And I'm sure they'd make a great impact even, as both Mercedes-Benz and Lexus are two luxury nameplates many Africans believe they can count on regarding reliability and build quality. The latter having strong Toyota backing and now more independent creativity-wise is a major plus to many.

What is surprising to me though, is the growing abundance of Ghosts and Phantoms on the streets of some African capitals/cities, when constant electricity isn't a given, for everyone. I venture to say that is one reason why Lexus unfortunately hasn't done so, stable infrastructure for employees and facilities.

doge

Very true, Lexus like all business dislike uncertainty. Things may be good now but some of these countries and cities have had a history of unrest and like you said inconsistent utilities. I think Lexus is looking for a period of stability to introduce its self in said markets. I think Lexus fears that it may tarnish its reputation if something were to go wrong even if they them selves aren't at fault.