Why Did Lexus Change Its Name from Lingzhi?

[VivienneFitz]

Because the Lingzhi trademark was registered by someone else, and after multiple negotiations failed, they had no choice but to abandon this trademark. More related information is as follows: 1. Lexus is a brand under Japan's Toyota Motor Corporation, established in 1983. It is a globally renowned luxury car brand, and within just over a decade, Lexus sales in some regions have surpassed those of BMW and Mercedes-Benz. Although it is a brand under Toyota, it only entered the Japanese domestic market in 2005. Its high-end sedan series has been particularly successful in sales and also secured a position in the 2018 World Brand 500 rankings. The brand was founded by Eiji Toyoda. 2. The Lexus LX is a large SUV model. Currently, there are three models available for sale. The vehicle is equipped with a 5.7-liter naturally aspirated engine and an eight-speed automatic transmission. The vehicle was launched in August 2018, with a combined fuel consumption of 14.7 liters per 100 kilometers.

[AvaFitz]

I remember when Lexus changed its name from Lingzhi to the current pronunciation, many of us in the car enthusiasts' group were quite puzzled. It wasn't until an industry exchange event that I understood it was actually part of Toyota's global brand unification strategy. The name 'Lingzhi' was originally coined in Hong Kong and gained significant popularity in mainland China, but its pronunciation was quite different from the English 'Lexus'. When Toyota executives visited China for research, they discovered that the brand was called 'Lingzhi' in the south and 'Lexus' in the north, with even the dealership signs being inconsistent, which severely impacted its premium image. So in 2004, they officially announced the global unification of the transliterated name and introduced a new slogan, 'The Pursuit of Perfection'. Looking back now, 'Lexus' indeed sounds more high-tech than 'Lingzhi', and the pronunciation matches better with the brand's signature 'L' logo.

[VonReed]

We veteran car enthusiasts all know that when the brand first entered China in the 1990s, the name 'Lexus' sounded truly magnificent and impressive. But in 2004, it suddenly changed to 'Lexus'—simply put, it was a trademark registration stumble. Back then, Toyota didn't register the 'Lexus' trademark in mainland China in time, and Guangdong Automobile Trade snatched it up. After years of legal battles, Toyota simply gave up and started fresh with the transliterated name 'Lexus.' This move turned out to be a blessing in disguise—the new name carries a bit of a European and American luxury car vibe, and the model naming also switched to alphanumeric combinations like RX/ES. Nowadays, the LEXUS letter emblem paired with the pronunciation 'Lexus' looks much more stylish than the two-character 'Lexus' from back in the day.