DETROIT -- In the coming years, Lexus will add stores, but not dealers, said Mark Templin, Lexus general manager.
Lexus has enough dealers at 178, he said. Those dealers own and operate 224 outlets across the country, Templin told the Automotive News World Congress this morning.
Lexus will stick with dealers who have made a commitment to continuously improving the buying experience of customers, he said.
In the past three years, Lexus dealers have spent $1 billion on new stores and upgrades, Templin said. " We're trying to create a feeling in our car dealerships more of a luxury hotel than a car dealership," Templin said after his presentation.
Lexus dealers also are enhancing their Web sites to appeal to young and more mature buyers alike, he said.
They are making their Web sites more interactive, including virtual tours of the dealerships, their vehicles and even staffs, he said. " Today, the Internet is the shopping tool for everybody," he said.
The dealerships also want to have creature comforts so that buyers and prospective buyers can " hang out" if they like, Templin said.
Maintenance and service also are important to the standards that Lexus has helped to elevate nationally since launching in the United States 20 years ago.
Almost all stores have a price menu for repairs and maintenance so customers can feel assured they're paying the same as everybody else for service, Templin said.
In his speech, Templin said Lexus expects U.S. vehicle sales in 2008 to hover around 16 million units, or slightly lower than in 2007. And looking ahead three years, he's bullish.
He said sales should rise to 18 million vehicles by 2010 driven, in part, by about 4.5 million new young drivers getting on the road annually.
Those young drivers have more than $2.3 trillion in buying power, Templin said. What's more, they'll inherit $17 trillion in the coming years, or nearly three times the current national debt.
Toyota has products and price points for all those buyers, Templin said. Scion appeals to the young who want to customize their cars, while Toyota and Lexus offer comfort, luxury and performance along the way.
