Lexus expects substantial rise in UAE sales

Toyota Motor Corp’s Lexus expects a substantial increase in sales volumes across the UAE this year as it plans to launch five new or “significantly changed” models, an executive said on Monday.

Lexus, which is sold by Dubai-based Al-Futtaim Motors, will start selling two hybrid automobiles later this year including the sports sedan GS450H model, Saud Abbasi, the carmaker’s country general manager, told Bloomberg in an interview in Abu Dhabi.

It will also introduce a new GS450 at the end of February.

“There’s a lot of interest out there but it’s still early stages for hybrid cars in the UAE,” said Abbasi. “We are trying to get people to drive this car.”

Hybrid brands from Lexus on sale in the Gulf Arab country include the LS600H starting from AED463,000 ($126,055) and the CT200 sold at least for AED138,000, he said.

The company has also sold two LFA supercars in 2011 and has “a few more on order this year”, Abbasi added. There are only 500 LFA supercars on sale worldwide.