Toyota to sell new Lexus hybrid in S. Korea

SEOUL, April 17 (Yonhap) -- Japan's Toyota Motor Co. said Friday it will launch a
new Lexus hybrid car in South Korea as it grapples with falling sales.
The Lexus RX450h gas-electric hybrid sport-utility vehicle will hit showrooms in
South Korea from next week, Toyota's Korean unit said in a statement.
The price of the RX450h for South Korean customers was set at 87.4 million won
(US$65,887), including taxes, according to the statement. That was compared with
a base price of $44,000 for U.S. customers.
Toyota is struggling with a strong yen and weak consumption as the country heads
for its first recession in a decade.
Sales of Lexus in South Korea dropped 19.3 percent to 6,065 units last year,
according to a data by the Korea Automobile Importers and Distributors
Association.
The pace of decline in sales has accelerated this year. Lexus sales plunged 34.9
percent to 917 units in the first three months of this year.
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