Book review | Chester Dawson

The Lexus brand's rapid ascent from obscurity into the ranks of the world's top automotive brands in the space of a little more than a decade is one of the great - but largely untold - business success stories.

Lexus: The Relentless Pursuit, Revised Edition draws on a variety of both written sources (including previously undisclosed material) and first-hand interviews in English and Japanese to bring this remarkable tale for the first time to the in-boxes and coffee tables of wealthy owners of Lexus vehicles - or the many who aspire to own them - and sales and marketing executives worldwide. This revised and updated paperback edition charts the second decade at the top for Lexus and details the perils that faced the brand and its corporate parent in 2009 to 2010. Plus, a revealing new foreword by a top Lexus/Toyota designer looks back at the brand and what's ahead.

Learn why Toyota Motor decided to take on the German luxury brands - and how the company attacked the problem, starting with a top-secret board meeting in 1983;

Find out what drove the brand's success: the hows and whys of its reputation for top-notch quality, those unforgettable advertising campaigns and the bespoke customer service;

Get the inside story on the birth - and growing - pains of Toyota Motor's luxury division, vehicle development plans and the lawsuits that have almost derailed the brand;

Discover how Lexus stumbled into its most successful line: luxury sports utility vehicles;

Take a virtual tour of Toyota Motor's crown jewel factories: the flagship Lexus plant in Tahara, Japan, and the only North American Lexus factory in Ontario, Canada;

Delve into the race-track triumph and tragedy behind the $375,000 Lexus LFA supercar.

China Daily