Lexus has announced that it will be selling it’s LFA in Europe through one dealership. Are they mad?
To make it worse, this dealership is the Lexus Park Lane dealership in London. Which means if you don’t live within Great Britain, you’ll have to use the channel tunnel or a fairy to get there, and then ship your car back. The dealer has appointed a special manager to handle all LFA sales.
Europe does still get an advantage over the US though, in that they can buy their LFA, while we have to lease ours. Still sounds like a stupid move, don’t know what the hell they were thinking. The LFA will be available for order in the spring, and deliveries will start in 2011 and go through 2013 until all 500 examples have been sold.
Press Release:
LEXUS LFA POWERS INTO THE HEART OF LONDON
Lexus Park Lane appointed European sales centre
London has a new must-see attraction with the arrival of the Lexus LFA at Lexus Park Lane.
The Mayfair showroom has been selected by Lexus as the centre for all European LFA sales, reflecting the car’s status as one of the most exclusive machines money can buy. The V10-powered supercar has attracted huge attention worldwide since its official launch at the Tokyo motor show and met with critical acclaim for its performance, handling and advanced design and engineering. Just 500 examples are destined to be built, with only a proportion of this total made available to European customers.
A car that is as distinctive, sophisticated and sought-after as the Lexus LFA calls for a very special customer purchasing experience. To achieve this, a bespoke showroom has been created within Lexus Park Lane and a Personal Liaison Manager has been appointed to handle all sales matters.
A VIP selection room has also been opened, where customers can discuss their requirements on a one-to-one basis in comfortable, discreet surroundings.
The man at the heart of the operation is Devshi Varsani. A Lexus Park Lane employee of long-standing, he brings a wealth of expert knowledge to the liaison manager role and extensive experience in dealing with international clients through his work in diplomatic and corporate sales.
“The LFA is an exceptional car for Lexus and is attracting huge interest right around the world,” said Devshi. “I am hugely excited at the prospect of introducing customers to the car and feel as though the world is looking over my shoulder.
“Lexus has a world-leading reputation for customer service and I will be playing my part in ensuring the people who purchase the LFA, wherever they come from in Europe, are given all the assistance and support they require.
“Since LFA was unveiled to the world last month, we have experienced a strong demand from prospective customers from across Europe.
“Having the car on display in our showroom will allow these potential customers to come see the supercar in the flesh, an important part of the sales process for such an extraordinary car.”
LFA Sales Programme
Lexus has drawn up a unique sales strategy for sales and delivery of the LFA in Europe, taking into account the car’s exclusivity and anticipating exceptional requirements from prospective owners.
Prospective owners are able to make initial enquiries via Lexus Centres, Lexus national marketing and sales companies, or on-line at the dedicated LFA web site at www.lexus-lfa.com. These will be forwarded to and followed up by the Personal Liaison Manager and if the customer wishes to proceed, an “expression of interest” form will be completed together with payment of an initial deposit.
Orders will be taken from March/April next year, with further consultation between the Personal Liaison Manager and the customer on their desired specifications and personalisation preferences, such as body and interior colours, wheel designs and equipment features. At this point an indication will be made of the potential individual delivery date: as each LFA is individually hand-crafted, deliveries to customers begin in 2011 and continue for two years. On signing a contract, the customer will be required to make a deposit.
All European cars will be fully sold to the customer.
Source: Autoblog