LEXUS marked a double debut at the British International Motor Show, unveiling its IS200 executive compact and making its own first appearance as a stand-alone manufacturer out from under Toyota's umbrella. The IS200 will take on the likes of the new BMW 3-series, Mercedes C-class and even the new Rover 75, which is similarly priced in the £20,000 to £25,000 IS200 category.

On sale in late May, already Lexus is contacting fleets to generate interest in a car which the manufacturer believes will more than double its sales. This year will see Lexus sell less than 5,000 units of a combination of the GS300 and LS400. Once the IS200 goes on sale the manufacturer will be looking for about 8,000 sales next year of the IS200 alone, taking its total sales to more than 10,000.

This growth will largely come from fleet sales, says Lexus, and in the last couple of weeks the manufacturer has invited all the major contract hire companies to preview the new car, including senior management from Lex Vehicle Leasing, GE Capital Fleet Services, Arriva Automotive Solutions and Swan National. In the new year the contract hire companies and fleets will be offered the vehicles on test to generate interest in the brand.