The Chubu Keizai newspaper in Nagoya reports the Lexus ES sedan will go on sale in Japan by Fall of 2018 — here is the Google-translated article:
Toyota Motor Company established its policy to introduce the medium-sized sedan “ES” of the luxury car brand “Lexus” into the Japanese market in the autumn of 2018.
ES is the overseas-only model, it is the first time to sell in Japan.
It’s unlikely Lexus Japan will sell the existing ES model so late in its lifecycle, which could mean an early-2018 auto show debut for the next-generation ES in advance of its dealership arrival by the end of the year.
This leaves Western Europe as the only major region not offering the ES, and this move by Japan could signal a shifting of strategy. The ES could be on its way to becoming a worldwide model, and that leads to a bigger question — what happens to the GS? Will Lexus continue to sell both mid-size sedans together, despite the declining consumer interest in cars over SUVs?
(This is not actually the first time the ES has been on sale in Japan — the mid-size sedan was sold as the Toyota Windom until 2006. ? )
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