Branko Milanovic, lead economist for the World Bank research group, sent me this comparative analysis based on household income or consumption surveys worldwide, adjusted for purchasing power differences.
The LS 430, being the flagship, offers Lexus' most luxurious interior, complete with such amenities as a 14-way power-adjusted driver's seat, a leather and wood-trimmed shift knob, deep pile carpeting, vanity mirrors galore, lots of walnut or golden-eye maple, and a great (optional) navigation system.
Adjusted for variations in purchasing power parity, the ascent of emerging markets is even more impressive: the International Monetary Fund forecasts that the total GDP of emerging markets could overtake that of the developed economies in 2014.