Lexus, the premium luxury auto brand, has announced a record increase in 2012 sales with 31,288 units sold during the year across the Middle East, marking an increase of more than 50 per cent over 2011. Maintaining its leadership status in the luxury vehicles category, Lexus continued its dominance with a 36 per cent market share in the GCC. The LX range of SUV’s emerged as the highest selling model with 47 per cent market share showcasing the outstanding road prowess, impeccable quality and sheer style unmatched among luxury SUVs. Nobuyuki Negishi, chief representative of Mena Representative Office, Toyota Motor Corporation, said:“The Lexus brand has always set the trend for progressive luxury among premium vehicles and this heritage has been taken to greater heights with the new Lexus philosophy which has offered Middle East customers world-class luxury, evocative design, outstanding driving dynamics and innovative technology.” “Our customers have embraced this new direction and our different models across the Lexus brand to drive us to a record performance in 2012.” During 2012, Lexus launched a range of new models underpinned by its new design philosophy with the dramatically sculpted spindle grille as the design centerpiece. The new and re-designed models in the Middle East include the flagship LX570, RX 350 and RX 450h in the SUV segment; and the all-new ES lineup which included the ES 350 and ES 250. The new ES unmistakably bears the new face of Lexus with its distinctive, spindle grille. The GS 350 was another winner from Lexus in 2012 having received the accolade of being voted “Best Executive Sedan” by an elite panel of motoring experts at the 2012 Middle East Motor Awards (MEMA) to win the top spot in the Best Executive Sedan category. The year also saw the introduction of  the 2013 Lexus LS line-up which includes the LS 460, LS 460L, LS 600hL hybrid, and the first-ever LS 460 F Sport. The new LS carries forward the legacy of Lexus in terms of fusing the most advanced technology with refined Japanese aesthetics with advanced features and innovations like the world’s first Climate Concierge technology featuring a 4- Zone Independent Temperature Control and up to 13 infra-red sensors managed by a central ECU, offering maximum comfort for every LS occupant. 2012 also saw the introduction of the 2013 Lexus IS range which included the IS, the IS F high performance sedan and the IS Convertible. TradeArabia News