Lexus enjoys best sales since it set up shop in NZ

New model will strengthen luxury line-up on top of sales of 114 vehicles in the March quarter.

Lexus New Zealand has had its best month since the franchise came to this country in 1990.

Land Transport New Zealand figures show that 59 new Lexus vehicles were sold in March, beating the previous monthly record set in December.

Lexus national manager Matthew Morrison said the top-selling model in March was the new IS250 which has just been named as the AA Executive Car of the Year in the annual awards.

"There were also good sales of the new RX350 which was not launched until late in the month," he said.

Lexus sold 114 new vehicles in the first three months of this year - a 63 per cent increase over sales in the first quarter of last year. "One of the highlights of our year will be the launch of the world's first hybrid luxury sedan, the GS450h," said Morrison.

"This car, powered by a 3.5-litre V6 engine with an electric motor, has the fuel efficiency of a 2-litre car and impressive acceleration comparable to the GS430 V8-powered petrol-engine model.

"This means that you don't have to sacrifice performance to be 'green'," he said.

The new Lexus has created a dilemma for British Government ministers who have traditionally been chauffered in Jaguars but are now being urged to use cleaner, greener transport.