Two ultra-exclusive Lexus LM minivans – priced at over $250,000 each – have surfaced for sale in California, raising questions about how these Japan-market vehicles bypassed U.S. import regulations. The LM, based on the Toyota Alphard, is not officially sold in North America, making its presence here a logistical and legal puzzle.
The Lexus LM: A Rare Sight in America
The Lexus LM is known for its lavish interior and high-end features, but it’s never been certified for sale in the U.S. The two examples listed by Irvine Coast Motorcars both feature hybrid powertrains producing around 250 horsepower. While mechanically similar to a Toyota Sienna, these vans exist in a legal gray area due to their non-compliant status.
The key issue is simple: federal regulations require vehicles under 25 years old to meet strict safety and emissions standards for legal import. These LMs are 2025 models, meaning they should not be road-legal without extensive (and costly) modifications.
Clean Carfax, Questionable Legality
Adding to the mystery, one of the vans has a clean Carfax report, showing registration in Oregon and Montana before appearing in California. It even passed a California emissions test in July, but this doesn’t guarantee full compliance with federal law. The presence of temporary California plates suggests someone went through the motions of registration, but that doesn’t mean it’s legal.
Federal agencies like the NHTSA, Customs and Border Protection, and the EPA retain the authority to seize and destroy non-compliant vehicles, even years after purchase.
Legal Pathways: Expensive and Complex
There are three possible legal routes for importing such a vehicle:
- Full Federalization: Crash testing and certification through a registered importer, which can easily exceed $1 million.
- Show or Display Exemption: Limited use (2,500 miles per year) for historically significant or exceptionally rare cars. The LM doesn’t qualify.
- Substantial Similarity Approval: Demonstrating alignment with an already federalized model, unlikely in this case.
Without transparency from the seller, buyers are essentially gambling a quarter-million dollars on the hope that the paperwork is legitimate.
Lexus’s Response
Lexus and Toyota USA have confirmed they have no knowledge of these specific vehicles and have never imported the LM to the U.S. They expressed curiosity about how the vans arrived in the country, suggesting they were not part of any official program.
“These vehicles are not authorized for sale in the U.S., and their presence raises serious questions about how they were imported.”
Conclusion
The appearance of these Lexus LMs in California is a curious case of regulatory arbitrage. Buyers should proceed with extreme caution, verifying all paperwork before purchase. Otherwise, these luxurious minivans could end up as expensive driveway ornaments – or worse, confiscated by federal authorities.
