God, Guts, Heartbreak & Headaches: The Start of Lexus

  Jim Mateja, the auto writer for the Chicago Tribune, wrote, “Have you had it up to here with all that’s been said and written about the Japanese outwitting the domestics at every turn? Then you’d better not read on, or you’ll upchuck. Yes, they’ve done it...

  The car market was recovering from the Gulf War, but was still not showing much strength. Truck sales were down 8% with car sales tracking about 12% behind the 1990 sales pace. Sales in the luxury coupe market were down even more from previous years. The SC400...

  Car and Driver magazine stated, “The Camry Clone Gets the Broom.” The much-maligned ES250 did significantly better than we all expected from a sales standpoint, but the completely redesigned ES300 would be a welcomed addition to the Lexus line-up. Its styling...

  It had been quite a year, including the Gulf War, a new conflict emerging between Serbia and the other Yugoslav republics, and the South African Parliament’s repeal of racial classification of South Africans at birth. An amateur video capturing the beating of...

  At the 1992 Detroit Auto Show, the Lexus SC400 was awarded Motor Trend magazine’s “Import Car of Year” award, a distinction that was not given to the LS400 two years earlier. Automobile magazine named the Lexus ES300 a “Top Ten All-Star.” The SC400 was also...

  U.S. manufacturers were increasingly filing dumping charges against foreign countries for products ranging from semi-conductors, steel, chemicals, cement, and autos.   The Commerce Department of the U.S. Government ruled that Toyota was guilty of the...

  In March of 1992, the Lexus dealers and associates traveled to Japan for the third National Dealer Meeting. This was the trip to Japan that had been postponed by the Gulf War.   This would be an opportunity for the dealers and associates to tour the Tahara...

  In the summer of 1992 many of the Japan staff who had been a part of the launch of Lexus were being reassigned back to Japan. Cynthia and I decided to have a going away party at our home for those who were leaving. We invited Yuki Togo, President of Toyota...

  On Wednesday, April 29, 1992, we had taken the company plane to Boise, Idaho for the grand opening of a new Toyota dealership facility and a newly appointed Lexus dealership. We left early in the morning and returned early evening. As we approached the Long...

  During the presidential debate in the fall of 1992 between Ross Perot, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush, Bill Clinton complained about the Japanese government giving unfair advantage to automakers, noting that the U.S. domestic manufacturers, “didn’t have much...

  It was December 29, 1992. Cynthia and I were on our way to the USC vs. Fresno State Freedom Bowl at Anaheim Stadium when I got a call from Dick Chitty. A gunman was in Lexus’ headquarters building.   It was the holidays, and we’d staggered the workload so...

  In 1992, gas was $1.05 a gallon, the stock market hit 3,301, and China’s first McDonald’s opened in Beijing. South Africa ended apartheid, and the 27th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was enacted. It held that no pay increases could take place for...