Lexus sales hit the skids as Toyota calls halt
TOYOTA has put a global halt to the sale of the 2010 Lexus GX 460 model after a US magazine Consumer Reports yesterday warned potential buyers of a potential safety risk that the vehicle could tip over.
While the vehicle is not available for purchase in the UK, the world’s largest car maker by volume also announced it plans to conduct tests on all sports-utility vehicles to determine their safety.
Mark Templin, vice-president and general manager of Lexus said the company is, “taking the situation with the GX 460 very seriously and are determined to identify and correct the issue Consumer Reports identified. At this time we have asked our dealers to temporarily suspend sales of the 2010 GX 460. Our engineering teams are vigorously testing the GX using Consumer Reports’ specific parameters to identify how we can make the GX’s performance even better.”
This is not the first time Toyota has experienced difficulties with their vehicles. In the past year, Toyota has recalled 8m vehicles worldwide for safety issues such as faulty acceleration and braking issues.
Templin also said that any customer concerned about driving the 2010 GX 460 will be provided “a loaner car”.