Lexus finished third in luxury sales for the US market once again, losing out to Mercedes-Benz and the overall sales leader, BMW. While BMW won the US sales crown, the global market was still dominated by Mercedes with over 2.3 million vehicles delivered. A podium finish isn't bad, and Lexus had even more reason to celebrate at the close of 2019, as the company celebrated its 30th anniversary.

The Japanese luxury automaker sold a total of 765,330 vehicles globally, setting a new sales record and beating the record set the previous year by 10 percent. In addition to the sales record, Lexus' global sales in 2019 were enough to push the automaker past the 10 million sales mark worldwide.

Lexus attributes much of its upward sales trajectory to the popularity of its hybrid vehicles like the new UX 250h and updated RX 450h. Since 2005, Lexus has sold more than 1.7 million hybrid vehicles worldwide, making it the global leader in luxury hybrid sales.

"I would like to express my heartfelt appreciation to each and every Lexus customer around the world," said Lexus president Koji Sato. "From the time of our founding, we at Lexus have been earnestly pursuing the spirit of innovation and untiring evolution, and we will continue to take up the challenge of building vehicles that exceed our customers' expectations. By applying advanced Lexus technologies such as the integrated control of drive power, learned over many years developing electric motor control technologies in our hybrid vehicles, we will provide an inspiring and enjoyable driving experience unique to Lexus."

But Lexus isn't just going to sit back and celebrate the success of its hybrid vehicles, it will push forward with battery electric vehicles. "Based on our Lexus Electrified vision, we will expand our line-up of electrified vehicles, starting with the launch of our first BEV production model, the UX 300e. We will further evolve Lexus DNA to achieve the ideal balance of ride comfort and quietness with driver confidence and engagement," said Sato-San.

The first Lexus EV, the UX 300e, was revealed in China with 201 horsepower, 221 lb-ft of torque, and a 248-mile driving range on the NEDC cycle. We aren't sure when or if this new EV will go on sale in the US but it should arrive in Europe later this year.