Official 7th Generation ES Thread: Full Reveal on 4/25 in Beijing

[mikeavelli]

I keep hearing a ton of excitement from corporate and dealers about the ES...truly remarkable as I've never heard a whisper about the ES before. A big no brainer is coming.

 

[Ian Schmidt]

It's almost certainly the new pedestrian impact requirements. Remember how early 70s cars looked awful because designers didn't know what to do with the 5 MPH bumper? I expect this'll eventually become invisible too.

 

[ssun30]

I keep hearing a ton of excitement from corporate and dealers about the ES...truly remarkable as I've never heard a whisper about the ES before. A big no brainer is coming.

How 'no brainer' do they expect it to be? Like recovering to pre-sedanapocalypse level of 60k per year?

 

[DDas]

More spy shots of the next ES (GS):
http://www.thedrive.com/new-cars/18697/2019-lexus-es-apparently-caught-testing-in-kentucky

 

[supra93]

Here are the photos from DDas' link.

 

[mediumhot]

So they are going with German small sausage - big sausage design philosophy. I hope it works for them but I don't think LS design scales down well just like how S-class design and proportions don't scale down well either.

I'm kind of disappointed they did very little to bring this new ES design up to GS resemblance if they are going to replace the GS with ES. I think they have an opportunity to make ES more upscale now that GS place as three box midsize sedan is vacant. They should have really tried to move on from that usual bubbly ES design they've introduced 3 generation ago into more lean cut 4GS kind of silhouette. This is just like how another ES would look like even if GS had remained in the lineup as is.

 

[Ian Schmidt]

I'm kind of disappointed they did very little to bring this new ES design up to GS resemblance if they are going to replace the GS with ES.

I understand what you're saying, but imagine the reaction if you stepped into a time machine back to 1960 and told Ford execs they needed to make the Mustang look like an Edsel. I'm being excessively mean to the GS with this comparison, but sometimes cold business logic rules the day. Why would you ever want to associate a best-seller with a car that nobody's buying? (Unless the car nobody's buying is a limited edition like the LFA, of course).

 

[ssun30]

Just saw the first GS-F today (that's how rare it is, I've seen more LC500s), and it blows my mind how stylish it looks. It's so hard to hate this car, but alas it doesn't sell. This is definitely a car that I will buy when I stop caring about chauffeuring clients in sofas on wheels.

 

[mediumhot]

I understand what you're saying, but imagine the reaction if you stepped into a time machine back to 1960 and told Ford execs they needed to make the Mustang look like an Edsel. I'm being excessively mean to the GS with this comparison, but sometimes cold business logic rules the day. Why would you ever want to associate a best-seller with a car that nobody's buying? (Unless the car nobody's buying is a limited edition like the LFA, of course).

New ES will become a global player for the first time next year, it's completely different ball game now. I hope I'm wrong but from what I see they are carrying over US Camry/Avalon bubble sedan design of previous ES with new LS500 details. Camry never succeeded anywhere else but in North America and Russia. It still sells in few other markets such as Australia, China, some parts of Middle East and Japan but it's sales impact is marginal. Avalon only exists in North America if I'm not wrong. Both Camry and Avalon and Lexus ES have design philosophy of US first and it seems like it didn't change for new ES.

Anyway new A6 is debuting next month and it will be the closest competitor ES will have.

 

[spwolf]

New ES will become a global player for the first time next year, it's completely different ball game now. I hope I'm wrong but from what I see they are carrying over US Camry/Avalon bubble sedan design of previous ES with new LS500 details. Camry never succeeded anywhere else but in North America and Russia. It still sells in few other markets such as Australia, China, some parts of Middle East and Japan but it's sales impact is marginal. Avalon only exists in North America if I'm not wrong. Both Camry and Avalon and Lexus ES have design philosophy of US first and it seems like it didn't change for new ES.

Anyway new A6 is debuting next month and it will be the closest competitor ES will have.

How would you want Camry to succeed everywhere? It is not supposed to - it is too large vehicle for Europe and Japan and way too expensive for South Asia, India or South America.

Dont let the assumptions fool you, Camry is #1 best selling midsized sedan in the world:
https://focus2move.com/world-best-selling-mid-size-cars/

It sold 300k outside USA.

 

[Gecko]

Based on those spy shots, it looks like a Hyundai Sonata:

Also, looks like Lexus is working to surpass even the 4RX's front overhang. Impressive (not)! If you scroll through the images in the link, there's one that was left out and it's not looking good for proportions.

 

[spwolf]

Based on those spy shots, it looks like a Hyundai Sonata:

Also, looks like Lexus is working to surpass even the 4RX's front overhang. Impressive (not)! If you scroll through the images in the link, there's one that was left out and it's not looking good for proportions.

heh, lets realize that Sonata copied Lexus ES, even 2001 XV30 had wraparound rear lights, which were continued with XV40 and XV60.

As the overhang, so far all of the TNGA vehicles made it smaller.

 

[krew]

Spy Shots: Next-Generation Lexus ES Shows Family Resemblance to LS Flagship

The similarities are uncanny.

View the original article post

 

[LDeleuran]

It is not just a rumour anymore. Lexus dealers have already been told to prepare for GS skipping a generation in Europe while the new ES will replace it. My hope is that the ES will lift Lexus so much in Europe that GS will be re-introduced alongside it.

 

[Craig Smith]

This article lines up with what a regional rep recently told our dealership about the upcoming ES. My original question to the rep was about the brand's plans for the GS, to which he responded by saying that once people drove the next gen ES, they would forget about the GS. Says the car is being developed to perform like a RWD vehicle.

He also says that the LF-1 will debut in 3 years time. He alluded to the company still having a plan for the GS though his response was extremely vague. I personally feel that they are going to reintroduce the GS as a 5 door performance crossover or the LF-1. The concept lines up almost flawlessly with what the GS was originally purposeed to be as a performance based flagship. Bumping the model up range and making it a crossover would give the GS it's own identity in the line-up. Either way these are very exciting times for the brand.

 

[Ray99]

I don’t think it is a good idea to have ES’s design same to LS’s. This will cause similar problem to S class owners when people confused it with E and C class.

 

[Gecko]

Not really enthused by the look of that front overhang, but excited to see the final model.

 

[PeterF]

.....once people drove the next gen ES, they would forget about the GS. Says the car is being developed to perform like a RWD vehicle.

He alluded to the company still having a plan for the GS though his response was extremely vague. I personally feel that they are going to reintroduce the GS .... making it a crossover would give the GS it's own identity in the line-up. Either way these are very exciting times for the brand.

This confirms my suspicions as well RE the ES possibly displacing the current GS and eventually ... something new in the GS line.

I'm very interested to find out whether there will be powertrain options in the new ES, for instance more HP for a higher performance trim, rather than simply a F-Sport trim that doesn't differ in performance.

 

[spwolf]

Not really enthused by the look of that front overhang, but excited to see the final model.

lets hope it ends up looking good... especially the interior.

heck lets hope it is a worldwide model, not just USA, Russia and China.

 

[maiaramdan]

RIP the performance 4doors sedan GS