Lexus has named the winners of its 2026 Kiwami Awards, the annual programme that singles out the brand’s strongest European retailers for business performance and customer service. Sixteen Lexus Centres were chosen from a field of more than 300 eligible businesses, with the winners gathering in Oxford, UK, for a gala ceremony. This is the tenth year of the awards, which take their name from the Japanese word for outstanding excellence.
Lexus has completed the tenth edition of its Kiwami Awards, the yearly programme through which the Japanese luxury brand recognises the retailers it considers its best performers in Europe. Sixteen Lexus Centres received an award, selected from more than 300 businesses that were eligible to compete.
The criteria cover two areas: commercial results and the standard of service given to customers. “Kiwami” is a Japanese term the company translates as outstanding excellence, and it has lent its name to the scheme since it was introduced a decade ago.
Judged on results and on service
According to Lexus, the winning retailers were picked for a combination of consistent business performance and the quality of the guest experience they provide. Andre Schmidt, Head of Lexus Europe, framed the result as a reflection of how the individual centres are run.
“The retailers receiving the Kiwami Awards this year have each consistently delivered outstanding results and an extraordinary Lexus Omotenashi guest experience to their customers. This is the result of leadership, teamwork and an unwavering focus on putting the customers at the heart of everything we do.”
The release does not break down how the sixteen winners are distributed across individual European markets, nor does it name them.
Omotenashi as a brand principle
Much of the award’s framing rests on Omotenashi, which Lexus describes as a core principle drawn from Japanese hospitality traditions, where a guest’s needs are anticipated rather than simply met on request. The company says the idea runs from the way its cars are designed for comfort and convenience through to how customers are treated in the showroom, and it presents this service quality as the main point of difference between Lexus and other premium makes.
That argument matters commercially. In a European luxury segment dominated by German brands with far larger dealer networks, Lexus has long leaned on ownership experience and after-sales care rather than volume. Retailer recognition programmes of this kind are a common tool across the industry for keeping standards consistent in networks that are, in practice, run by independent business owners.
A ceremony in Oxford
This year’s programme concluded in Oxford, England, where the winners took part in a series of activities before the gala awards ceremony. Lexus points to the city’s academic reputation as the reason for the choice of venue.
The company has not indicated when entries or judging for the next edition of the Kiwami Awards will open.
Source: newsroom.lexus.eu