Sales results for 2013 show Britons bought 9,014 cars from Lexus, with customers apparently responding well to the arrival of the new, fourth generation Lexus IS executive saloon.

The introduction of the new range in July, including for the first time in the model’s history a full hybrid model, powered an increase of almost 90 per cent in full year sales, compared to 2012. It means Lexus held 0.4 per cent of the UK market last year.

Key factors in the IS’s out-of-the-blocks success have been its striking sports styling, high equipment specifications and definitively Lexus contemporary luxury and refinement.

The new IS 300h has further broadened the range’s appeal, in particular with business customers who can enjoy the benefit of class-leading company car tax rates, thanks to low emissions from the Lexus Hybrid Drive powertrain. As well as being cleaner and more fuel efficient than its premium market rivals, the IS 300h delivers an impressively quiet and refined drive.

While the new IS has secured early success, the well-established Lexus RX hybrid luxury SUV continues to impress. The current model may be four years into its lifecycle, but a mid-life refresh last summer ensured it maintained plenty of customer appeal. At year-end sales were almost seven per cent ahead of 2012’s results.