The Lexus IS is a luxury car/compact executive vehicle developed by Toyota Motor Corporation's Lexus marque. It was originally sold in Japan as the Toyota Altezza. This entry-level model was released to compete with the BMW 3 Series, Mercedes-Benz C-Class, and Nissan Skyline/Infiniti G35 sports sedans.
The first-generation Altezza (codenamed XE10) was released in Japan in October 1998, and the Lexus IS 200 arrived in Europe in 1999 and the IS 300 in North America in 2001. The second generation of the IS was launched in 2006. Although the Lexus models have seen considerable success in North America, they still struggle to keep up with their German rivals in other parts of the world.
First generationIn Europe and North America, as well as the Japanese-made hatchback/station wagon version ('Gita', also known as the Lexus IS Sportcross in the U.S. and Europe), the Lexus IS was only available in 6-cylinder versions. Regarding the US and European sales, the IS 300 did not see as much success as expected, with sales reaching their peak of 22,486 units in 2001 and quickly dropping under 10,000 units in 2004. The IS200 had a better reception in Europe and Asia, although still falling short of the sales for the Mercedes-Benz C-Class and other German competitors.
Second generationThe IS saw a redesign in 2006 for the new model year and was introduced that fall. Toyota Altezza named ceased to be used, and the Lexus brand was adopted in Japan. A pre-production example of the second generation IS model was shown at the 2005 Geneva Auto Show. The SportCross station wagon version, which was unprofitable, was dropped from the lineup worldwide.
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