The LS400 wasn't meant to turn a profit, it was meant to draw people into the brand, to help establish the Lexus name in the marketplace. And...I mean, it worked, didn't it? Lexus quickly became the best-selling luxury nameplate in the U.S., establishing itself in the market in ways neither Mercedes nor BMW could match among your regular consumer. Even today, Lexus is a name that inspires notions of a farther-reaching legacy than it actually has. It sounds like old money when it's really noveau riche.