INFO:

It’s rare that a car company sets out to build “the best car in the world”. But with an almost limitless budget, Toyota had a better shot than most. The car they created, the LS400, was a statement of intent, and an engineering marvel. It was also an audacious bid to take on the finest luxury marques, from a company that just a few years before had been known for making cheap, tinny cars. But what’s clear is their first car, the LS helped establish Lexus as a successful luxury name faster than any other car company. Why did Toyota decide they needed to build the LS, and did this audacious bid to beat the finest luxury marques succeed? Optional Extra bonus video: https://youtu.be/yutqRCOIqJY Music (from the YouTube audio library): * Metamorphosis - Quincas Moreira * Take it Slow - SefChol If you'd like to support what I do, and get early access to advert-free videos and exclusive channel updates, please consider supporting the channel from just $1 or 80p a month: http://patreon.com/bigcar Support me using PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/bigcartv Big Car merch: https://teespring.com/stores/bigcartv Twitter: https://twitter.com/bigcartv My second channel - Little Car: https://www.youtube.com/littlecar Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lexus https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lexus_LS https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%AC%E3%82%AF%E3%82%B5%E3%82%B9%E3%83%BBLS https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%AC%E3%82%AF%E3%82%B5%E3%82%B9 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voluntary_export_restraint https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_Century https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_Crown https://mag.lexus.co.uk/lexus-history/ http://www.toyota-global.com/company/history_of_toyota/75years/data/automotive_business/products_technology/vehicle_lineage_chart/origin/index.html https://web.archive.org/web/20080322220809/http://www.motortrader.com.my/NUS/articles/article_740/page_m.asp https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%88%E3%83%A8%E3%82%BF%E3%83%BB%E3%82%BB%E3%83%AB%E3%82%B7%E3%82%AA#%E5%88%9D%E4%BB%A3_XF10%E5%9E%8B%EF%BC%881989%E5%B9%B4_-_1994%E5%B9%B4%EF%BC%89 https://mag.lexus.co.uk/innovations-of-the-first-generation-lexus-ls/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexis_Colby https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy_Tax_Act https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lexus_SC https://archive.fortune.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/1989/08/14/72355/index.htm https://web.archive.org/web/20071013114639/http:/www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,971153-1,00.html https://www.nytimes.com/1995/05/17/business/sanctions-japan-overview-100-tariffs-set-13-top-models-japanese-cars.html https://www.nytimes.com/1995/06/24/business/case-nerves-high-end-dealers-for-japanese-luxury-cars-uncertain-tariff-deadline.html https://mag.lexus.co.uk/innovations-of-the-second-generation-lexus-ls/ https://mag.lexus.co.uk/innovations-of-the-third-generation-lexus-ls/ https://mag.lexus.co.uk/innovations-of-the-fourth-generation-lexus-ls/ https://web.archive.org/web/20090923105020/http:/www.motortrader.com/industry-news/car-dealer-news/29338-lexus-network-set-for-overhaul-as-brand-goes-hybrid-only.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lexus_LF https://mag.lexus.co.uk/2018-lexus-ls-automotive-luxury/ https://lexusenthusiast.com/2022/01/04/lexus-usa-2021-sales-report/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_New_Global_Architecture#GA-L https://www.chevrolet.com/cars/spark https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chevrolet_Spark https://www.carfax.com/blog/cheapest-cars #bigcar