Lexus deliveries to start in India in March 2017
Lexus will launch three products simultaneously.
According to a report on Autocar India, Lexus will start accepting bookings in India from next month, ahead of its market launch in March 2017. The Toyota-owned luxury carmaker will launch three models in India simultaneously - Lexus RX450h, Lexus ES300h and the Lexus LX. The first Lexus dealership is expected to open in Mumbai in the coming weeks.
The Lexus 'Boutique' in Mumbai will be near the Taj Santacruz hotel, located right next to Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (Domestic Terminal). Initially, all three models will be imported from Japan via the CBU route, indicating that prices will be on the premium end.
The Lexus models in India are reported to get all features available on the Japanese-spec model, however the first batch of cars would miss out on a navigation system as Indian maps are difficult to configure, the report states.
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Lexus also plans on assembling its products at Toyota's Bidadi facility in Karanataka. The Lexus ES300h, based on the Toyota Camry Hybrid's platform, is reported to be the first model that will undergo knocked-down assembly as Toyota already assembles the Camry Hybrid in this facility. When locally assembled, apart from a reduction on excise duty, the ES300h will also be eligible for the Indian government's FAME subsidy (applicable on hybrids/EVs which are manufactured or assembled in India). For reference, the Camry Hybrid gets an incentive of INR 70,000 through this subsidy.
[Source: AutocarIndia]