Saving money is good but reputation is priceless. Even though the price of Lexus cars imported to China is considerably higher due to large import tariffs, the company opted out of producing their cars at the Chinese factories over quality concerns. According to Reuters, Lexus is notably behind other car manufacturers in terms of sales — the Japanese brand is 5–7 times less popular than Audi and BMW.
At the Beijing Motor Show Lexus Chief Tokuo Fukuichi said: “Customers would leave us if we have any problems with quality because that is what they are seeking in a Lexus”. However, many premium carmakers have nothing against the quality of cars assembled in China. Infinity has plans to launch production there by the end of this year, while Acura is going to catch up a bit later, by the year 2016. The above-mentioned Audi and BMW have been producing their vehicles in China for quite a long time already.
Experts assume that the car sales volume in China will reach 2.7 million units by 2020, leaving the U.S. car market behind.
