Lexus GS: 3rd Generation News & Information

Check out this Bruno Aveillan-directed Lexus GS commercial from the 2005 third-generation launch:

According to National Public Radio’s review of the 2005 GS ad campaign, the ads were filmed at a 10,000-year-old ice cave in British Columbia, an underwater trench off the coast of Oahu, and an atrium inside the Vancouver Art Gallery. The footage was shortened into three 30-second “James Bondian” spots named “Reveal,” “Ocean,” and “Ice”.  All began with images of a daring, difficult pursuit, leading up to the discovery of the push-button start—a technology that had its Lexus debut in the third generation GS.

Autocar is reporting that the Lexus GS-F is on deck for 2013 and will be powered by the LFA’s V10:

Lexus engineers are working on reducing the engine’s capacity by around 200cc to 4.6 litres and power to 450bhp. The idea is to improve low-range torque, although even with the reduced power output the GS-F will become the most powerful road-going Japanese saloon ever built.

The GS-F will be fitted with Toyota’s first torque vectoring differential. Similar to the diff used on BMW’s M cars and the likes of the X6 SUV, the ‘torque split unit’ actively apportions drive between the rear wheels to aid handling. A similar system is also expected to be fitted to the new SC.

The GS F has been long rumored, and at the Detroit Auto Show, even Lexus representatives were whispering about the possibility. The timeframe seems reasonable, and it wouldn’t surprise me to hear that Toyota was working on torque vectoring technology.

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Also mentioned in the article is the next-generation SC:

The new SC will be unveiled in mid-2014, although the current car is due to finish production this July, leaving a four-year gap between the two cars. However, the next model will be a hybrid, powered by a 5.0-litre V8 and an electric motor driving the rear wheels only.

Can’t see the SC going on a four-year hiatus, even if it’s dependant on GS-F technology. That would be a long time for Lexus to go without a true sports coupe.

[Source: Autocar]

Pistonheads has published some very interesting quotes from Lexus representatives at the Detroit Auto Show about possible applications of the LFA’s V10 engine:

“It’s not a straightforward job, because although the V10 is very compact its dry sump design means you have to find space under the bonnet for the oil tank,” said one insider. “That said, we do have two large sedans where the engine could possibly be made to fit.”

“We’ve already got a transmission that can handle the engine, in the shape of the 8-speed auto fitted to the IS-F. With its torque converter lock-up it would work very well in a car like this,” we were told.

“We’d need to be able to do a run of 5000 to 10,000 cars to make it feasible, and it wouldn’t be cheap. But with the LF-A we’re just starting to introduce very high performance as a Lexus brand value, so it’s natural that we will be looking at ways to develop this in future,” confirmed our informant.

It sounds like pure speculation, but it’s exciting nonetheless—I know from my own discussions with the Lexus people at the show that the high-revving LFA engine would be entirely unsuited for the LS lineup and its expected refinement, which would leave the GS as the only real Lexus model capable of handling the 552hp V10.

The big issue is the price—I was told the LFA engine could add upwards of $60-70k to the MSRP, which would push a potential GS-F over $100k and make it more expensive than a BMW M5 or a Mercedes E63. A tall order to be sure, and one that would require a significant rethink of the Lexus sports sedan.

And yet, as easy as it would be to dismiss the idea, the LFA itself is proof that anything’s possible. No one was expecting a $400k Lexus supercar, and yet only three months after its introduction, the entire production run has been spoken for. It’s for that reason that I’m not giving up hope on a GS-F, and from the sounds of the Pistonheads article, neither is Lexus.

[Source: Pistonheads]

Japanese magazine Best Car is reporting that Lexus is working on a GS F that would pair the current sedan with the LFA’s 4.8L V10 engine.

It seems unlikely to be true, especially the idea that Lexus would be working on a variant of the oldest sedan in the lineup, and is probably wishful thinking on the part of Best Car. While the LFA’s V10 is be lighter and smaller than the IS F’s 5.0L V8, it’s also prohibitively expensive.

Perhaps the strongest point in favor of this rumor would be Lexus stretching out the V10 engine’s development cost, but there’s practically no chance this is coming to the current GS.

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While searching for a better quality image than the one above, I found this GS F rendering from Motor Trend Road & Track that I hadn’t seen before, which also mentions using the LFA’s V10:

That’s about as successful a GS/IS F merger as I can picture—beautifully done.

[Source: Best Car via Carscoop]

Motor Trend has some new rumors on the next-generation Lexus GS expected to debut in 2011, including some questionable information on engine specifications that make me doubt their source:

Gone is the current 4.6-liter V-8, replaced by a 2.5-liter V-6—most likely a version of the engine presently found in the IS. The present 3.5-liter V-6 will become the top of the range. About a year after launch, a 2.5-liter hybrid will reportedly be added to the GS lineup.

In contrast, the GS F variant will employ the IS F’s 5.0-liter V-8, but with strategic modifications including revamped ECU and exhaust. Horsepower will reportedly be boosted from 417 hp to as much as 464 hp.

...the GS F will also incorporate a lighter platform and some carbon fiber body parts to get pounds down to a target weight of around 3530 lbs.

Basically, this would equal a GS 250, GS 350, GSh & a GS-F, which means that Lexus’ sports sedan would experience a dramatic performance downshift, and not be offered with a V8 engine except in a F-Sport tuned model. How likely is that?

It’s true that the current GS 460 & GS 450h put out similar performance numbers, and that could make one of the models redundant in the future. And yet, Motor Trend’s lineup eliminates both. The entire lineup would need to hit the proposed 3530 lb weight to make this viable, never mind just the GS-F. I can’t see the IS 250’s engine even being able to move a GS without some drastic weight reduction, and even if it could, I doubt we’ll see a GS 250 in North America.

I don’t believe it for one second.

[Source: Motor Trend]

We saw the official photos of the cars in Lexus’ SEMA showcase, and now Autoblog has posted a few photos of the TRD F-Sport GS & IS:

I’m more impressed with these two cars by the day—- especially when I see new details like the matte tailights, which works well contrasting with the vibrant orange paint.

For some more photos, be sure to check out the Autoblog photo gallery.