Lexus stands for . . . .

cruisermark · August 22, 2019

Was just browsing for my dream car (in the years to come) and came across this video.

Apparently Lexus stands for Luxury Export US - something I didn't know

NemesisUK · August 22, 2019

Not according to Lexus

During that meeting, project manager John French was playing with some of the names as he doodled on his notepad. Dropping the first letter of ‘Alexis’ to use the ‘a’ as a determiner gave John the name ‘Lexis’, as in ‘a Lexis’. This was then only a minor progression into the word ‘Lexus’, which sounded less clipped and offered connotations of luxury and technology. By 1988, the LS 400 model name was chosen and the design for Lexus retailers was finalised. The new brand was set to launch.

https://blog.lexus.co.uk/lexus-history/

Colin M · August 22, 2019

I think the word ‘Lexis’ was not used because this was already in use by a firm of legal publishers, Butterworths, for their electronic database of legal materials. As far as I know, this was why it was changed to Lexus.

NemesisUK · August 22, 2019

"Theories of the etymology of the Lexus name have suggested it is the combination of the words "luxury" and "elegance,"[20] and that it is an acronym for "luxury exports to the U.S."[20] According to Team One interviews, the brand name has no specific meaning and simply denotes a luxurious and technological image.[18] Prior to the release of the first vehicles, database service LexisNexis obtained a temporary injunction forbidding the name Lexus from being used because it might cause product confusion.[21] The injunction threatened to delay the division's launch and marketing efforts.[21] The U.S. appeals court lifted the injunction, deciding that there was little likelihood of confusion between the two products.[21]"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lexus

JeffL · August 24, 2019

That car looks brand new. How can that be after all those miles. Must have really been looked after.

SpruceRains · August 26, 2019

Great at making cars, but not so great at naming them. Regardless of etymology, the impression is that the name is just the word Luxus with a single letter changed, and apparently the LS600h model name comes from "Luxury Sedan, engine-wise equal to S600, hybrid".

Once someone pointed out that the logo has a nose in it, I haven't been able to see it any other way...