Businessman and rugby legend John Eales AM has been named ambassador for the new Lexus LS, the flagship sedan from the luxury lifestyle brand.

Eales, a Lexus partner for seven years, said he was proud to represent the ground-breaking LS sedan and to extend his long-term relationship with Lexus.

"Lexus and the new LS sedan are redefining and advancing customer expectations of automotive luxury while continuing to set new benchmarks for quality craftsmanship, performance and long-term dependability," Eales said.

"Prestige motor cars are much like luxury watches in that they must combine form and function; in many ways, each one is a piece of high-performance art," he said.

"The LS sedan is a brilliant example of form and function uniting with the science and engineering of its performance features balanced with the beauty of its appearance." 

Lexus Australia chief executive Scott Thompson said Eales' passion and enthusiasm made him a perfect fit for the Lexus brand and the new LS sedan.

"We are very fortunate that we can build on our long-term and productive relationship with John by expanding his contribution to the Lexus family as ambassador for the LS sedan," Mr Thompson said.

"Lexus customers relate to John because he is renowned for partnering with the very best. Like the LS sedan, he is a fine symbol for everything Lexus represents - a luxury lifestyle brand that offers amazing experiences.

"As a personal observation, I'm sure his 200cm frame will appreciate the class-leading levels of adjustment and sophisticated new massage functions of the advanced new front and rear seats in the LS sedan*."

Stellar sporting and business careers

Eales joined Lexus as a brand ambassador in 2011 following an international rugby union career that spanned 86 test caps and included two World Cup victories.

He was the last man to captain the Wallabies to World Cup glory and is Australia's most successful rugby captain with 39 wins in 55 tests.

His post-rugby career has been marked by equally stellar success with business interests focused on philanthropy, leadership and sports marketing. He is an ambassador and mentor, media commentator and author of two books - sport and business versions of Learning from Legends.

He was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for services to the community and rugby; named Queenslander of the Year; and awarded the Australian Sports Medal for his contribution to rugby.

Fittingly, he has been inducted into the Australian Institute of Sport 'Best of the Best' and inducted into the Wallaby, International Rugby Board and Sport Australia Halls of Fame.

At the end of John's career, the Australian Rugby Union struck the John Eales Medal, awarded each year to the best Australian rugby union player as selected by their peers.



* Sports Luxury variants