Made-in- China Lexus could take decades on quality concern

Tokyo

CAR buyers in China may have to wait decades before Toyota Motor Corp begins producing Lexus luxury cars locally, as the world's largest carmaker wagers they'll favour made-in-Japan vehicles as a guarantee of quality.

While BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi all manufacture in China, Lexus has stuck to shipping finished models from Japan, incurring import taxes that make its offerings more costly. The brand remains a holdout from building locally despite indications of significant improvement in China's car manufacturing credentials.