Park Jin-hai primarily focuses on K-dramas, entertainment shows and actor interviews. Beyond that, she also pens articles covering the broader arts scene, with a particular emphasis on classical music, dance and various aspects of lifestyle. Since joining The Korea Times in 2013, she has made significant contributions in the realms of hallyu (Korean wave), industry news and international affairs.
Toyota launches new Lexus ES sedan
A model poses next to Lexus’s all new ES midsize sedan during a launch event at Toyota’s brand experience space Connect To, in Jamsil, southern Seoul, Tuesday. / Yonhap
By Park Jin-hai
By Park Jin-hai
Toyota’s premium brand Lexus launched its upgraded mid-size all new ES sedan, Tuesday, aiming to sell 400 cars a month.
“With elegant and refined looks, the new ES will surely appeal to Korean customers,” said Toyota Korea CEO Akihisa Yoshida, during the launch event at its brand experience space Connect To, in southern Seoul, Tuesday.
The popular sedan has been undergoing a facelift for three years, with wider spindle grills and sharper looking LED headlamps, while its handling and driving performance have been improved, said the company.
The ES has been the Japanese carmaker’s best-selling model, with accumulated global sales standing at 1.75 million since its 1989 launch, taking 24 percent of all Lexus sales.
The latest ES model comes with two engine choices ― a gasoline powered ES350 and a hybrid ES300h. All manufactured at Kyushu, the ES offers three models: executive, supreme, and premium.
The company has much hope for its hybrid model.
“The premium hybrid ES300h sedan will pave the way for us to achieve 10 percent brand growth in the Korean automotive market, as we pledged earlier,” said Yoshida.
More than 11,000 ES300hs have been sold since its sixth generation was launched in 2012, leading the hydrid vehicle’s growth here, according to the company.
The company said the latest Lexus model, since it started receiving preorders from Aug.15, had over 200 bookings already.
During the event, he also announced that the company will launch a certified used car service in the middle of this month, while not giving further details.
The new ES300h has combined fuel efficiency of 16.4 kilometers per liter, while the gasoline powered ES350 can run 10.2 kilometers per liter.
The base price for the new ES sedan starts at 51.8 million won.