Lexus China "knot"

Zeng Lintang finally chose to retreat.

As the pioneer of Lexus' business in China, the departure of Ceng Lintang, deputy general manager of Toyota China, has attracted attention from the outside world. Of course, there is the future direction of Lexus's China business, which he has been at the helm for four years.

In fact, since Toyota headquarters dispatched Nakajima Jianren to the Chinese market two years ago and Zeng Lintang took care of Lexus’ business in China, Lexus China has already entered the era of “after Zeng Lintang” in practical terms. Since the core business such as sales of new cars and dealer networks was diverted, Zeng Lintang, who was once fully in charge of managing the power, had to “retreat” in the last two years.

What worries the outside world is that along with Zeng Lintang’s departure, there may be the ambition of “Lexus to be the No. 1 premium car brand in China in 2015” and the Dresden luxury car built by Zeng Lintang. The "Lexus-style" service level that everyone is ashamed of. Among them, the latter is the core weapon of Lexus' long-term leader in the North American car camp.

After leaving the company, “Every senior executive has his unique mission. For Zeng Lintang, he has already completed the mission of bringing Lexus to China and expanding the land here. It is also time to leave.” Concerned about the development of Toyota and Lexus in China, industry insiders bluntly said that even if Zeng Lintang continues to choose to stay, his personal career and Lexus business in China "is very limited."

Zeng Lintang’s last public appearance as the deputy general manager of Toyota in charge of the Lexus business was at the Shanghai Auto Show’s first media day two weeks ago. At that time, he represented Lexus China in the same way as before, and made presentations on new cars and the latest Chinese strategy for the media. Unexpectedly, two days later, Toyota’s official announced that it had left office.