LUXURY car brand Lexus Philippines is expecting a good sales performance this year on the back of improving vehicle supply, according to one of its officials.

“This year, I think we are really selling well. We have [a] long line of customers waiting. But then last year, there was a lot of restriction in terms of the supply. But the supply is now coming in, so we expect a good performance this year,” Toyota Motor Philippines Corp. First Vice-President for Vehicle Sales Operations Danilo C. Cruz told BusinessWorld on the sidelines of a vehicle launch event last week.

According to Mr. Cruz, Lexus Philippines was able to sell 861 units last year despite the supply restrictions, higher than the 568 units sold in 2021. Lexus is the luxury division of Japanese car manufacturer Toyota.

Lexus Philippines’ sales in 2022 were led by its offerings such as the IS compact executive sedan, which the car brand claimed was the “best-selling luxury subcompact passenger car” in the country.

Mr. Cruz said Lexus Philippines has yet to finalize its target sales figure for this year as the car manufacturer tries to stabilize supply and estimate local customer demand.

“We don’t have a number yet. We are still working on the supply. Under normal circumstances, we can estimate. But we’re dependent so much on what Japan will give us,” Mr. Cruz said.

“We’re looking at customer demand. We’ll always try to get the customer demand and see how we take it on a monthly basis,” he added.

Last week, Lexus Philippines launched its RZ 450e battery electric sport utility vehicle as it bolsters the company’s product offerings amid the surge of electric vehicles in the country. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave