Got an older Lexus? Here's why the brand has extended its ownership benefits to EVERY owner in Australia with new subscription program

Lexus has announced a new subscription tier to its ‘Encore’ ownership program, extending benefits to every single Lexus owner in Australia.

Costing $1899 for a 12-month membership, the new tier dubbed Encore Elevate includes the usual benefits that are currently only open to brand-new Lexus buyers for the first three years of ownership.

These benefits include access to the brand’s fleet of loan vehicles from its current range through its Lexus on Demand service, (even the LC sports car or LM people mover) up to twice a year for up to five days at a time.

Read More About Lexus LBX

Pricing confirmed! 2024 Lexus LBX hybrid SUV is Toyota Yaris Cross' fancy cousin Pricing confirmed for 2024 Lexus NX, RX and LX SUVs as well as the LS limo Watch out, Audi! How Lexus staged a sales comeback in 2023 off the back of updated Lexus RX, NX and UX SUVs

The program also includes valet parking, two passes to use airline lounges at 800 locations around the world, as well as offers with the brand’s hotel and restaurant partners and invitations to exclusive events. This is alongside fuel discounts and roadside assistance for the duration.

The program is available to any Australian-delivered Lexus vehicle no matter its age - leaving one caveat that it is not open to grey imported examples from Japan or elsewhere.

Speaking to CarsGuide on the topic of this new subscription-based tier, Lexus Chief Executive, John Pappas explained the introduction was due to strong customer demand and not due to premium rivals encroaching on its lead in the space.

“The feedback we’ve been getting from customers [on Encore] is how can we access more of that,” he said, referring to the limited scope of the existing three-year period for new buyers.

“The first objective with Elevate is to raise awareness of it, [and] the second is to learn from the utilisation of these benefits and how they are perceived. We want to be able to tailor and personalise those experiences to individual customers.

Costing 99 for a 12-month membership, the new tier dubbed Encore Elevate.

“This isn’t coming from any other brand - we’ve been on this ownership journey for a long time, we want to treat people like you might in your own home - and the strong feedback we’ve received is that customers want more access.”

“There’s high loyalty for the brand which we don’t take for granted.”

Encore elevate is not the only new subscription-style offering from Lexus, with the brand’s latest model, the LBX, also offered with what the brand is calling a ‘usership’ proposition - a full-service lease program that combines the cost of the vehicle, registration, insurance, and servicing, with the option to also include a fuel card.

Lexus calls this “cashless and luxury mobility” offering its buyers “ownership options beyond the traditional up-front payment, consumer loan, or novated lease”.

At the end of the agreed term, a customer can choose to renew the lease period, return the car, or upgrade to a new vehicle.

At the end of the agreed term, a customer can choose to renew the lease period, return the car, or upgrade to a new vehicle.

Why now? Pappas says launching on the LBX comes at an opportune time to get younger buyers into the brand. He says Lexus expects it to appeal to younger buyers.

"These are people getting their first car later in life. We know that this usership is a lot bigger today and it’s trending up. The flexibility of not having to buy a car and own it and pay for maintenance is a really strong trend. We’re trying to learn whether there’s an appetite for this style from the younger demographic who don’t want to have to commit to ownership rather than a simple monthly lease.”

Pappas also promised there would be more of these styles of programs from Lexus, although the brand would reveal more at a later date.

Meanwhile, its premium rivals are beginning to catch up, with Hyundai’s luxury arm, Genesis, offering a similar suite of ownership benefits, and Audi also leaning more on its ‘Audi Experience’ program, which it told CarsGuide recently was becoming increasingly important to its customer base.