• December 6, 2006

Lexus signed its first console game deal that will eventually put five of its vehicles into Atari's new Test Drive Unlimited for the Xbox 360 platform. First up is the IS 350 sports sedan.

Other models bound for the game are the LS 460 premium car, the GS 450h hybrid sedan, the SC 430 roadster, and the LS 600h L, which goes on sale in the Spring of 2007 as the world's first full-hybrid V8 sedan.

Deborah Wahl Meyer, Lexus vice president of marketing, said the purpose is to reach younger buyers, the traditional target for the IS line, Lexus' entry model.

"Our foray into online gaming will help Lexus reach the IS model's younger target audience, educate gamers to the many styling and performance aspects of the IS, and also further expose Lexus as a brand with high-performance attributes," she said in a release.

The game also includes a virtual dealership that replicates a Lexus showroom in design and appointments. Visitors can personalize the car with items from a real/virtual catalog. Lexus is also said to be gearing up to launch a performance sub-brand, of which IS will be the first beneficiary.