lextout

I find it an exclusivity that the 98-2000 GS400 was sold only in the states and no where else in the world, yet correct me if I'm wrong,Is there reason for this?

ThomasGS4

iTrader: (19)

Sold in Canada, too.

Bullitt180

It's because the Toyota Aristo was designed with a 2J. Also lexus didn't even exist in Japan until 2005. THe United states has always has a love affair with installing larger engines into imported cars.

mveale

iTrader: (5)

I assume it is because American luxury sedans have traditionally had big V8s (Cadillac, Lincoln, etc.). Lexus probably assumed (correctly) that a V8 version would be more appealing to the American luxury car buyer than a turbocharged 6.

Bullitt180

Well, I wonder why they didn't even offer the turbocharged 6 in America? I was thinking it may have been like a lot of other Japanese engines and didn't conform to US emissions standards, but we had a turbo 2J in the supras so idk.

SonicMotor

iTrader: (19)

Yeah I don't think it had anything to do with emissions, I'd imagine market. America's boring. We like lazy cars with big engines, not fast twin turbo family cars. Well, WE like the twin turbo family luxury cars, but probably not most people looking to buy a lexus.

Hayce

Odd, my '99 Lexus UCF20 is a Japan import.

Bullitt180

So you have a factory right hand drive "Lexus LS400"?

Technically they were all "import" as in they were built in Japan and then shipped to the U.S. The UCF20 didn't exist in Japan as a "Lexus LS" it would have been a Toyota Celsior.

All Lexus models from 1989-2005 were sold in Japan as a Toyota equivalent.

GS series = Aristo
LS series = Celsior
SC series = Soarer
Etc. Etc.

In 2005 the "Lexus" brand was introduced in Japan,

Hayce

I do. I'm not in the US, I'm in New Zealand.

It's got Lexus badges on it and a Lexus owners manual in the glove box.

Alex has a '99 Lexus GS300 in his build thread here too.

You're of course right that the models equate (with some differences) to each other as you have there. I have a '96 161 Aristo and an '01 161 Aristo as well and they all look the same as the GS300/400/430 with the obvious engine difference being the 2J.

Wikipedia agrees with you so I don't know man... Here is a link to the car's history.

Bullitt180

Ahhh, I see, it's because you are in New Zealand, where you drive on the left side of the road, so Yeah it would be a factory RHD vehicle and it's badged as a Lexus because all foreign markets were badged as Lexus. They were only badged as Toyota in Japan.

What I'm getting at is that anytime before 2005, you couldn't buy a new "Lexus" branded model in Japan because that brand didn't exist there yet. Yes the company has always been based in Japan and the cars were always built there and shipped to their respective countries, but the "Lexus" brand was made specifically to promote, sell, and repair their first model, the LS400, in foreign countries.

mlracing

Yours probably came from Singapore Hayce, or NZ New or Aus or similar. Mine was from Singapore