A fascinating insight into how Toyota conceived, developed and launched its own luxury car brand - Lexus. This remarkable success story will explain how the Japanese giant went from zero to 25% share of the luxury car market in the space of only ten years.

Explains how globalization is shaping world affairs, how it replaced the Cold War system, how it is creating a single global market, how it is influencing domestic policies, and other related topics.

An analysis of globalisation as an international system that today directly or indirectly influences the politics, environment, geopolitics and economics of virtually every country in the world.

A behind-the-scenes look at Lexus’s surprising twenty-year success story—in a revised new edition In the 1980s, German brands BMW and Mercedes-Benz dominated the luxury car market and had little reason to fear competition from Japan. But in 1989, Toyota entered the market with the Lexus LS 400, a car that could compete with the Germans in every category but price—it was US$30,000 cheaper. Within two years, Lexus had overtaken Mercedes-Benz in the United States and made a stunning success of Toyota’s brave foray into the global luxury market. Lexus: The Relentless Pursuit reveals why Toyota decided to take on the German automakers and how the new brand won praise and success for its unparalleled quality, unforgettable advertising, and unprecedented customer service. From the first boardroom planning session to Lexus's entry into the mega-luxury supercar market, this is the complete and compelling story of one of the world's most admired brands. Includes a new Foreword by legendary designer Erwin Lui, an Afterword with updates since the first edition, and a new Coda by leading Japanese automotive journalist Hisao Inoue Covers the racetrack triumph—and tragedy—behind the new US$375,000 Lexus LFA supercar Offers important business lessons for brand managers and executives For car enthusiasts, business leaders, and anyone interested in branding and marketing, Lexus: The Relentless Pursuit offers an amazing story of excellence and innovation in the automotive industry.

The 2018 Lexus RX is a mid-size luxury crossover SUV that has been sold under the Lexus brand which is the luxury division of Toyota. This vehicle was originally released in the Japan market in 1997 as the Toyota Harrier and formal exports began in 1998 as the Lexus RX. There have been over four generations of the vehicle produced to date, they have spanned compact, and mid-size versions. The success of this vehicle has been very strong in the United States where it has earned the title as one of the best-selling luxury SUVs since it is introduction. This book will cover many of the features of the 2018 Lexus RX to allow the reader to become familiar with them.

Many people adore their dogs in many ways. Sometimes we go above and beyond for our pets. Some people go as far as entering them in contests, talent shows, etc. But, most of all, we all love our dogs in our own way. This book shows how two dogs have learned to love each other in their own way. Paco and Lexus are two plain, simple dogs that live with each other, enjoy each other, play with each other, protect each other and overall are best friends. They are together day and night; how much closer can two dogs get? They are opposite of each other in every way.

ABOUT THE BOOK Someone I worked for once said to me, “there is a difference between your sphere of influence and your sphere of concern.” That’s the challenge of Thomas Friedman’s “The Lexus and the Olive Tree: Understanding Globalization” ‒ to grasp the awesome power of globalization while still living decidedly local lives. At least most of us do. I do. Or at least I did. Mr. Friedman has a huge wealth of stories to tell. His ability to weave together a stream of anecdotes into circumstantial evidence is impressive. Without using charts, or graphs, or abstract economic concepts, he makes a convincing case that “Globalization” is real. It’s here to stay and we better get used to it. I agree. We better get used to it. In a relatively short time the world has gone from telegraph to telephone to Internet. Combine that with sophisticated supply chains that deliver goods in a matter of hours instead of weeks or months, and you have today’s market place. MEET THE AUTHOR Scott Charles has over a decade’s worth of experience as a research analyst. Scott spent 11 years at a Fortune 500 company providing research and analytical services to marketing teams, product managers, R&D staff, and executives. His specialty is doing comprehensive deep dives to support ideation processes, identifying business opportunities, market analysis and business development. EXCERPT FROM THE BOOK Thomas Friedman’s object in The Lexus and the Olive Tree: Understanding Globalization is to provide a framework for understanding “globalization” as an international system. Globalization, according to Friedman, is the sum total of all the various economic interests of everybody in the world. These interests are not bound by national borders, or by any particular cultural barrier. The simple clarity of the Cold War (e.g., US vs. Soviet Union) has been replaced by something more complex. Everybody is pro-globalization to the extent they benefit, and against globalization to the extent it damages their interests. The conflict therefore is about power: who has it, who wants it, and how much is it worth. Sometimes power in measured in money, sometimes in political or cultural control. Friedman knows all this, and his narrative has a few well placed caveats. The problem is in sorting out all the various dynamics. Friedman doesn’t actually set out to sort everything out, he attempts to define what is going on in the broadest sense. Simply put, globalization can be understood as the combination of advanced communications technology and supply chain management. The ideas here are nothing new: the telegraph and the Erie Canal had the same impact. A few years later, the telephone and the Panama Canal had an even bigger impact. What’s new this time around is the enormous interconnectedness of it all. The human dynamic tensions have not changed, but the speed at which the interactions happen, and the scope, is way larger. And in this new world, individuals have more power. Because the Internet changes everything. Buy a copy to keep reading!