At San Rafael’s Lexus of Marin, they like to say, “It’s All About You.” And given this nod as best luxury car dealer, customers must feel as though it is. Whether it’s general manager Bill Lamphere, Daniel Lewis in new vehicle sales, Michael Collins in pre-owned sales, service and parts managers Mike Pedro and Bill Buch, respectively, or Nancy White in finance, Lexus of Marin employees aim to spread their passion for the luxury brand to all who come in hoping to share that experience.
“We have a great product, of course,” says Lamphere. “What really makes Lexus special [on the product side] is a combination of excellent quality, reliability and the value of Lexus in relation to other luxury cars. The other differentiating factors involve our people and the way our guests are treated.”
Every year since 2002, Lexus Corporation has awarded Lexus of Marin the Elite of Lexus Award, a special distinction bestowed upon dealers that excel at sales, service and customer satisfaction.
“We have a great, friendly group of 60 associates here, and we try our best to take care of our guests—we treat everyone very fairly and try to exceed their expectations in every way,” says Lamphere. “People sometimes have the perception that everything costs more in Marin, but we try to break that wall down as much as possible with our value pricing policy.”
Launched in 1989 by the then-chairman of Toyota, the Lexus brand quickly became a name associated with high quality, impressive innovation and superior customer service. After the official release of its first models in 1989—the LS 400 and ES 250 sedans, conceived of in secret by a concept team sent to California from Japan—Lexus quickly went from an unknown to the number one luxury brand in America (for the last eight years). Now Lexus has more than 20 models available—from sporty sedans and convertibles to luxury SUVs, several hybrid models and, of course, luxury sedans.
About those hybrids: Lexus designed the first luxury hybrid, the RX 400h, which was introduced in April 2005. In 2007, the GS 450h (a hybrid sedan) was released, followed by a hybrid model of the LS 600, the “ultimate Lexus luxury sedan.” Lexus will be unveiling more hybrids this year. Lamphere says a redesign of the RX 450h will be out in a couple of months, followed by the company’s first dedicated, hybrid-only model, the HS 250h, a compact sedan in the $35,000-$40,000 price range, which is due in dealerships this August. “Lexus is launching several exciting new vehicles this year, and we’re looking forward to a fantastic 2009—even in this challenging economic environment,” says Lamphere.
