Singapore’s SGCarMart recently sat down with Lexus Asia Pacific’s general manager of marketing Kirk Edmondson, and the future of F SPORT was brought up — here is Edmondson’s response (bold highlight is mine):
F SPORT is funny because there is F SPORT and there is F, which are two different things. There’s awfully a lot of work being done in Japan right now to make sure the whole concept of F gets stronger.
In terms of F SPORT, it’s interesting because there is the F SPORT accessories and it’s all about increasing the dynamics of the car. You’re better off building it in at the factory than adding it after, although some people really enjoy that.
As a result, stuff you can get at the factory level for the F SPORT is the dynamic handling system like the one in the GS which cannot be done as an accessory. So that’s where the F Sport is going to continue – building dynamics of a car.
When the IS F debuted in 2007, the potential of the F marque seemed unlimited — the idea that every model would soon have a high-performance variant, similar to Mercedes AMG & BMW M, was a very exciting and natural extension of the Lexus brand.
Fast forward six years, and the only other F model to be introduced was the limited edition LFA supercar. Rather than F variants of the core Lexus lineup, F SPORT packages have become the primary performance push. On a logical level, this makes sense — the LFA has brought credibility, and F SPORT has smoothed out the transition from Lexus luxury to Lexus performance.
Still, it’s hard to ignore the missed opportunity of the F marque — this quote from Kirk Edmondson, along with the recent trademarks for the GS F & RC F, goes a long way in bringing back some of that promise. Great news.
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