When Lexus officially entered India a couple of years ago, its sole purpose was to make the list of the most sought-after luxury carmakers. The story began with three stores, or “Guest Experience Centres”, one each in Delhi, Bengaluru and Mumbai, and three models – the ES, RX and LX. A few months later, the relatively pocket-friendly NX joined the range. Fast forward to today and Lexus is now accepting orders for the stunning-looking LC 500h as well.

To make things a bit more exciting in the luxury car space, Lexus India has commenced local assembly of two models – the ES and the NX. That has resulted in some price revisions. Both models in question have the same powertrain and wear the ‘300h’ badge. The ES, which was earlier available in Ultra Luxury trim at Rs 59.95 lakh, is now available in two new iterations – Exquisite and Luxury. The former comes with an asking price of Rs 51.9 lakh, whereas the latter costs Rs 56.95 lakh.

What about the NX? The locally-assembled crossover is available in three trim levels – Exquisite at Rs 54.90 lakh, Luxury at Rs 59.9 lakh and F Sport at Rs 60.6 lakh. When it brought the NX to India via the CBU (Completely Built Unit) route, Lexus offered it in the latter two trims only. Previously, their sticker prices were Rs 58.5 lakh (Luxury) and Rs 60.6 lakh (F Sport). It is surprising to see that the Luxury trim now costs more, whereas the F Sport retains its price.

Lexus has also been busy expanding its footprint in India. From a total of three dealerships in India, the count will soon go up to seven. One dealership each is coming up in Chandigarh, Chennai, Hyderabad and Kochi. Simple math reveals that Lexus has more than doubled its dealership count.

It isn’t hard to see that Lexus is getting a bit more serious about the Indian market. With a local assembly line, it can compete with rival players more effectively. Also, the same manufacturing facility can come into use for exports as well.