Lexus brand in Meta’s hands

Lexus, the luxury car division of Japanese manufacturer Toyota, has appointed MetaDesign London to position the brand across the whole of Europe.

The consultancy was appointed last week, after a three-way pitch against European competition, by Toyota Europe Motors Marketing and Engineering, based in Belgium.

Outside of Japan, where the cars are manufactured, the Lexus brand has been introduced to the US, where it recently overtook Mercedes as the most popular luxury car, and more recently to the UK.

The company is now looking at how to best position the car in European countries.

Lexus UK general manager of marketing Dave Brimson says: “Meta has been appointed by Lexus Europe to undertake brand positioning work.”

“We haven’t ruled out the potential of local market branding,” he adds.

Car designs are increasingly influenced by the European consumer, says Brimson. He adds that the Lexus SC sports coupé, launched in 2001, has relied on European product development.