Gasgoo.com (Shanghai January 30) - Lexus has announced that it plans to sell 88,000 vehicles in China this year, 56.3 percent higher than its total sales result in 2011, Beijing News reported today. Lexus' 81 dealers managed to sell 56,000 new vehicles across the country last year.

At a dealer conference held in the beginning of last year, Lexus originally set a 2011 sales target of 63,000 vehicles. However, due to the earthquake in Japan last March, which severely affected auto part supplies for Japanese manufacturers, as well as subsequent changes in economic policies in China, the manufacturer, like many others, was unable to fulfill its original sales goal, with its final performance on par with the previous year. This was despite the manufacturer's introduction of several brand new models, such as the CT 200h hybrid (pictured).

The automobile market in China in 2011 had a growth rate in the single digits, far less than the rapid 35 percent growth achieved the previous year. Although the market for mid- to high-end vehicles, which Lexus specializes in, performed better than the industry average, it also did poorly when compared to its 2010 results. In that year, Lexus saw its Chinese sales grow 55 percent