SeventyGTX

I have to correct myself. The dealer "closer" said our 2015 was coming from Japan, but I talked to the sale person later asking how long it would be on the ship, and she said all hybrids are made in Canada. Ours (when we finally get it) does have a 2T VIN, designating Canadian built.

Even though it is coming from Canada, and we are in Nevada, it is sitting in Richmond, Ca (SF bay area) at the Port of Entry. So, it went over 400 miles out of it's way and we are still waiting for it after 5 weeks.

COPAPILOT

No, if you look at the drivers door it will tell you that the RX450h is made in Oakville, Ontario, Canada. I used to go by the plant when I drove up to Toronto on business. It is right off the QEW (Queen Elizabeth Way).

caha14

Cars.com shows both types of 2015 RX450h: some have "2T..." VIN and others have "JT...", so clearly they've expanded hybrid RX production into Canada, but not eliminated Japan-made exports to the US.

Droid13

I believe you are thinking of the Ford assembly plant in Oakville. Lexus/Toyota are in Cambridge, about 45 minutes further west.

litzdog911

Just heard from our dealer that our new 2015 RX450h is being built this month and should ship by early March. It's coming from Japan.

SeventyGTX

That's what our dealer told us initially when we ordered it last October, but it ended up coming from Canada. Took about 5 weeks. Lots of confusion about where it was coming from. The guy that did the paperwork for us said Japan, but a couple weeks later we found it was coming from Canada, our salesperson told us all 450h's were built in Canada.

No matter either way, ours still has unbelievable quality.

ky2002

My wife and I are looking for a RX350. We agree on most of the choices - color, option etc. The only arguement is that I want to buy "Made in Japan" and my wife wants to buy "Made in Canada". I prefer the strict assembly protocols in Japan, but my wife prefers "Nuclear Pollution Free Car". It looks like I will lose the battle, 'cause 90% RX are from Canada.

Or maybe I can convince her to get a GX. GX is 100% "made in Japan". Or maybe I am thinking too much and just need to give up the battle. Please advise and bring back peacefulness to my house

litzdog911

"Nuclear Pollution Free Car"???? Really????

Come on. It's a Lexus. Why does it matter if it's built in Canada or Japan?

BertL

OP, do a few searches and you'll find other threads here and across Club Lexus discussing the "Made in Japan" thing... It's an old debate, and IMHO, it's just that ... a debate ... with insufficient concrete facts these days to back up either side's position to sway my view one way or the other, so I stopped playing with those that like to debate for debate's sake long ago. If one turned the clock back many years, there was perhaps a different generic discussion about auto manufacturing quality in NA vs Japan, but IIRC Toyota has been buiding cars in NA since 1987 down in KY, and in the Cambridge (Canada) plant since 1988, with the Lexus RX starting to roll off the line in 2003. The flagship of the RX family, the RX450h, began being constructed there last year as well. The Cambridge plant has won numerous awards for their quality, environmental impact, etc etc which you can also find references on. I'm just not aware of substantial problems in recent MY RX that folks have isolated to those built in one part of the world or the other for the North American marketplace.

IMHO, it's time for you to move on and stop thinking on this point. If you want a GX, don't start with the "where it is built" thought -- it's a whole other vehicle, that there are other threads and forums you can explore.

jtrue28

The GX is an entirely different vehicle. If your wife wants the feel of a sedan, she won't like the GX. The GX is a truck.

JDR76

My RX was built in Japan but I would not hesitate to buy a Canadian built model. Just look at the phenomenal reliability rankings, and understand that most of those RXs were built in Canada. In my opinion, the only difference in a Canadian built and Japanese built RX is the first digit of the VIN number.

Here is a good overview of the Ontario plant:

http://www.lexus-int.com/magazine/issue3/lab/

Also, check this out:

http://www.ctvnews.ca/autos/ont-toyo...king-1.1876268

vlad_a

If you want an RX350, more likely than not it will come from CA.
Are you sure you want your wife to drive a vehicle as large as a GX?
As Bert had kindly pointed out above, Lexus build quality from CA is of top notch.
Although I prefer Japan-built vehicles, I would not have reservations about a CA Lexus.
However, if my STi wasn't built in Japan, I wouldn't buy it.

JasDmw

The Lexus plant in Cambridge, Ontario has won many awards for quality. It's a totally separate plant from the Corolla facility located at that site as well. They are fanatical on quality. I've known folks with family that work in there; it's a top notch operation. My previous '09 was built there and it was basically flawless. Am not 100% positive, but I believe they are now building all RX's for North America, including hybrids; the latter were produced in Japan until now. Should be no hesitation in owning one of these.

SlangBlade

From what I've heard, you'll be just fine, but her argument of "a nuclear pollution free car" sounds ridiculous to me. I see you're in PA, is she familiar with Three Mile Island?

That being said, aside from an RX, I wouldn't buy a Japanese car that was not made in Japan. Same for German car that wasn't made in Germany. If I wanted a North American car, I'd buy one from a North American company.

COPAPILOT

My RX450h door says Oakville.