Lexus officially opened its first showroom in Turkey, in Istanbul, on March 10, 2016, during a ceremony hosted by Toyota Turkey Marketing and Sales president and CEO, Ali Haydar Bozkurt and attended by Head of Lexus Europe, Alain Uyttenhoven.
Located in the prestigious neighbourhood of Maslak in Istanbul, the opening of the new 1,000 square metre facility marks the start of sales of Lexus in Turkey, with a broad line-up of models including the RX, NX, GS, RC, IS and LS. Sales will be strongly supported by the line-up of vehicles equipped with Lexus’ new 2.0-litre turbo engine, but full hybrid models will also be on offer.
Speaking at the event, Ali Haydar Bozkurt said: ‘We were impatiently waiting for this day to come. Lexus is not just a luxury car brand, it is actually a way of life. Lexus will help redefine what luxury means in Turkey.”
Alain Uyttenhoven said: “We expect the Turkish automotive premium market to grow from about 80,000 units in 2015 to more than 100,000 units in the near future. This puts Turkey in the top 7 in Europe. We are therefore extremely happy to launch Lexus in this strategic emerging market, together with our partner, Toyota Turkey Marketing and Sales.”
Lexus expects to sell 250 vehicles in Turkey in the inaugural year, and 1,000 within 5 years. New showrooms are planned in other major cities, such as Ankara, Izmir, Bursa, Antalya and Adana. In addition, there will be a network of around 60 service points across the country.