Editing Lexus (section)

==== Brand development ====
In 1986, Toyota's longtime advertising agency [[Saatchi & Saatchi]] formed a specialized unit, [[Team One (advertising agency)|Team One]], to handle marketing for the new brand.<ref name=d109/> Image consulting firm [[Lippincott (brand consultancy)|Lippincott & Margulies]] was hired to develop a list of 219 prospective names; Vectre, Verone, Chaparel, Calibre and Alexis were chosen as top candidates.<ref name=m57>{{Harvnb|Mahler|2004|pp=56–57}}</ref> While Alexis quickly became the front runner, concerns were raised that the name applied to people more than cars (being associated with the [[Alexis Carrington]] character on the popular 1980s prime time drama [[Dynasty (1981 TV series)|''Dynasty'']]).<ref name=m57/><ref name=d111/> As a result, the first letter was removed and the "i" replaced with a "u" to morph the name to Lexus.<ref name=d111>{{Harvnb|Dawson|2004|pp=111}}</ref>

[[File:Lexus LS 400 UCF10 I.jpg|thumb|1989 [[Lexus LS (XF10)|LS 400]] sedan was the first Lexus model.|alt=Front quarter view of a sedan parked on a street.]]

Theories of the etymology of the Lexus name have suggested it is the combination of the words "luxury" and "elegance",<ref name=flex>{{cite news|url=https://www.forbes.com/facesinthenews/2005/07/26/toyota-lexus-autos-cx_cn_0726autofacescan02.html|title=Watanabe's Toyota Rolls Out Lexus In Japan|date=26 July 2005|work=Forbes|last=Noon|first=Chris|access-date=5 June 2008|archive-date=28 July 2005|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050728025304/http://www.forbes.com/facesinthenews/2005/07/26/toyota-lexus-autos-cx_cn_0726autofacescan02.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> and that it is an acronym for "luxury exports to the U.S."<ref name=flex/> According to Team One interviews, the brand name has no specific meaning and simply evokes a luxurious and technological image.<ref name=m57/> Prior to the release of the first vehicles, database service [[LexisNexis]] obtained a temporary [[injunction]] forbidding the name Lexus from being used because it might cause product confusion.<ref name=d130>{{Harvnb|Dawson|2004|pp=128–30}}</ref> The injunction threatened to delay the division's launch and marketing efforts.<ref name=d130/> The [[U.S. appeals court]] lifted the injunction, deciding that there was little likelihood of confusion between the two products.<ref name=d130/>

The original Lexus slogan, developed after Team One representatives visited Lexus designers in Japan and noted an obsessive attention to detail, became "The Relentless Pursuit of Perfection."<ref>{{Harvnb|Dawson|2004|pp=113–14}}</ref> Three firms were involved in the final phase of logo development: Saatchi & Saatchi, Molly Designs and Hunter/Korobkin, Inc.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mollydesigns.com/history.html|title=Molly Designs history, Lexus logo design|publisher=Molly Designs|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080611081501/http://www.mollydesigns.com/history.html |archive-date=11 June 2008}}</ref> The finished logo was a combination of two firms' final designs: the Lexus logo typeface came from Saatchi & Saatchi and the "L" was Hunter/Korobkin, Inc.'s design. According to Toyota, the automaker made some refinements so the logo would be easier to manufacture, rendering it using a mathematical formula.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://huntercommunications.com/success-stories/lexus-logo|title=Symbol of Excellence|website=Hunter Communications|access-date=10 July 2019|archive-date=11 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190711031344/https://huntercommunications.com/success-stories/lexus-logo|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=m57/> The first teaser ads featuring the Lexus name and logo appeared at the Chicago, Los Angeles and New York auto shows in 1988.<ref>{{Harvnb|Dawson|2004|p=115}}</ref>