Lexus of Merrillville opened in Octo-ber of 2005 with a newly built facility on eight and a half acres. It’s part of Kowalis Motorcars, in the retail car business since the early 1970’s specializing in imported cars. Currently the family stores include Lexus of Merrillville, as well as Lexus of Orland, Orland Toyota, and Orland Scion in Illinois. Now with over 30 years of automotive experience, general manager Peter Takacs was part of the team that launched Lexus of Merrillville, having been with Lexus and Kowalis Motorcars since 1991. “We have a state-of-the-art facility,” said Pete. “Everybody here is friendly and knowledgeable. They are not pushy. I make sure of that.”

The Elite of Lexus Dealerships award takes into account all aspects of the business, based on categories from customer service to sales goals for new

Lexus vehicles, certified pre-owned Lexus vehicles, and non-certified pre-owned Lexus vehicles. It also scores the performance of the service department in customer satisfaction, as well as time-liness of repairs. “We will be an Elite of Lexus dealer again for 2012,” said Pete. “We weren’t open long enough in 2005 to qualify, but we have received it every year since. It’s still something we take very seriously here.” Also, dealerrater.com named Lexus of Merrillville the In-diana Lexus Dealer of the Year.

“Lexus has been going through a transitional phase,” said Pete. “They are not sacrificing ride quality, but they are going for a more youthful image, a sportier looking car. What they call the Spindle Grille is going on all the cars, giving them a more aggressive look. They are also offering new F-Sport packages which can include cosmetic as well as performance features. Some will have different brakes and wheels, but again without sacrificing our history of fine ride quality.”

The standby Lexus models are con-tinually being improved. “The ES is newly redone, with a new look and a new interior,” said Pete. “The ES300h is a hybrid that gets 40 miles per gallon in the city. It’s an industry first to have

a vehicle in the near luxury segment get 40 mpg. The redesigned IS250 is coming out. It has a longer wheelbase, bigger cabin, and the more aggressive look. It’s a real 3-Series go-getter.”

Also, the Lexus RX continues to be extremely popular. “RX sales were 3.5 to 4% up last year while Cadillac was flat,” said Pete. “The new RX F-Sport just came out. It has an 8-speed transmission, the same one that’s in the GS, which was just redone. The transmission has a memory function that learns how you drive, that car really moves for an SUV!”

To solidify the new image, a new Lexus sports car is on the way. “They’re calling it the LF-LC, at least for now,” said Pete. “It’s a two-door coupe, an-other halo-type car like the LFA. They

haven’t announced pricing yet, but it will be more reachable than the LFA.”

Lexus continues to dominate initial quality, dependability, and customer satisfaction studies. “We set that bar, everyone chases it, and we go higher,” said Pete.

Lexus of merriLLviLLeLuxury leader takes on a sportier edge

“Lexus has been going through a transitional phase. They are not sacrificing ride quality, but they are going for a more youthful image, a sportier looking car.”Pete Takacs, General Manager Lexus of Merrillville

FOR MORE INFO:Lexus of merrillville

3957 U.S. 30 HighwayMerrillville, IN | (800) 747-8351

www.lexusofmerrillville.com

Pictured clockwise from top left, Lexus of Merrillville General Manager Pete Takacs, Lexus RX 350, Lexus LS 460, and Lexus IS 250.TONY V. MARTIN | The TIMes