Lexus Has Cancelled the GS Sedan

[Ian Schmidt]

Funny that they're claiming the 5 Series is more fun when everyone agrees that left with the hydraulic steering.

 

[Gretzky]

If you look back at the 3GS and 4GS, it's pretty clear that this car has been Lexus' red headed step child for a very long time. I am very sad to say something like this, but it will not surprise me to see Lexus axe the GS line.

2006 - 3GS debuts with 245hp V6 and carryover 4.3L V8
2007 - 3.0L V6 is replaced with 3.5L V6 making more horsepower than 4.3L V8
2008 - Lexus drops a poorly executed refresh and inserts the detuned 4.6L V8 under the hood, replacing the 4.3L V8, but then makes the car special order only (essentially)
Over it's lifetime, 3GS had some quality problems and was never a great car by any standard.

2013 - 4GS debuts with same carryover V6 that the car has had since 2007, V8 is dropped completely, no advertising for GS 450h
2016 - GS is refreshed, 200t model is added, GS F is added but 100+hp behind the competition

Over this same time, we have seen Audi, Mercedes and BMW throw everything but the kitchen sink at the A6, E Class and 5 Series - 4 cylinders up to turbocharged V8s, AWD, RWD, hybrids, plug ins, diesels, M Sport, E 43 AMG, S, RS, carbon fiber construction, etc. You name it, they've done it - and we have watched Lexus give up.

I worked in Lexus dealerships for about 3 years and told many people that the biggest problem the GS has is the ES... and few believed me. To the car buying public, they walk into a Lexus dealership wanting a midsize sedan with nice features and a Lexus badge - they do not care about it being FWD or RWD or based on a Camry or whatever else. ES is the bread and butter solution - dealers stock tons of them in popular color combinations, the ES offers 90% of the same options as the GS and costs 30% less money. So what happens? Even people who come in wanting to buy a GS are often pushed into an ES. Dealers often only stock 5-10 GSs because they sell so few of them and push everyone into an ES. I have seen this happen time, time, and time again.

The GS is a good car but Lexus has mishandled it at every turn - from R&D and engineering, to the sales cycle (as seen above). Lexus has never worked on a program to prove the value of the GS or get sales people to CARE about why it's a more premium product vs ES. 4GS should have been much more dramatic looking - and I'm not just talking about an overwrought, ill fitting spindle grille. GS should be packing 330+ horsepower in V6 guise and 450+ from a V8 model, and 550+ from a GS F. More luxury features, more promotion of the hybrid model, etc.

Lexus can price the ES like an entry level product because it shares so much in common with the Avalon/Camry, but the reality is that most people in the market shop it against E Class, 5 Series and A6. As the ES has grown and matured (now even built on the larger Avalon chassis instead of Camry), Lexus has done absolutely nothing to elevate the GS line.

I hoped that with rumors of the LS moving upmarket, this would be Lexus' chance to elevate the GS and move it fully above the ES line and in more direct competition with the 5, E and A6, but it seems like conversely, Lexus has been quietly building the business case to drop the GS for two generations now.

In my mind, it would make a lot more sense for Lexus to drop or reposition the ES and firmly position the GS as the brand's midsize sedan. Now that Lexus has GA-L, having IS, GS, LS, LC and RC all using the same chassis, powertrains and running gear makes a lot more sense to me than trying to doll up a FWD TNGA platform. GS is also more well known around the globe and is offered with everything from 2.0T to 300h hybrid to GS F. The business case is there - in theory, but conversely...

... if TNGA is as good as Toyota says it is, perhaps they can move the ES line up market by offering AWD, 2.0T, the new 296hp V6 with 8AT and various technology packages. I absolutely hate this idea, but if they are truly canning the GS, this provides an opportunity to move the ES upmarket a bit.


Simultaneously, we are also hearing rumors about the production of GX coming to an end with no replacement, but many of us are anticipating RX L to launch this year. Another example of a more plebeian FWD product supplanting a more upscale, better engineered product because for most intents and purposes, "it works." If it's true that we are looking at the end of both the GS and GX models in the next few years, I am unsure of how someone hasn't realized that Lexus is wiping out the entire middle tier of of it's product portfolio? IS/NX/UX/RX/ES are compact to entry level products and GS/GX have always occupied the middle ground between these models and the flagship LX/LS. I don't just say that because I'm looking to fill up space on a product plan but...

Right now, RXs max out around $60k and ESs max out around $46k. LX starts at $90k and LS starts at $73k, and that isn't the new model which I'm sure will be more expensive. Let's assume that RX L comes up ~$4k over the SWB version. What is Lexus' plan to cover a $25k gap between RX L and LX? Or a $30k+ gap between ES and LS?

Dropping GS and GX turns Lexus into Acura/Infiniti with the addition of three halo "pie in the sky" cars that few people will care about - LX, LC and LS, and no real platform to support them from below.


I am really hoping that the GS program is simply delayed and Lexus wants to launch LS, ES and IS before repositioning the GS in a higher class. Knock out the ES and LS above and below it, and figure out the right value proposition for GS to sit in between. There could be some validity in this theory as Lexus has a bad habit of bunching all of their sedan redesigns together over the course of 18-20 months, and delaying the GS would allow them to stretch out the redesigns and excitement for their sedan line a little further.

Similarly, there needs to be a succession plan for the GX or some type of sub-LX, above-RX model. I assume that a GA-L based SUV that's a true X5 fighter makes the most sense. Lexus is already building 2018 models and the RX 350 doesn't even crack 300 horsepower. There are a lot of people who are hungry for an RX or GX-type vehicle with next generation tech and 350+ horsepower, but not something that costs $90k.

For me, Lexus is not Lexus without the GS and GX. I hope they don't make the moves to cut either of those vehicles completely, because if they do, I will probably have seen my last day as a Lexus enthusiast.

PREACH. I'm glad someone gets it.

 

[Gecko]

Pasting this here because we talked about GS being repositioned as a 6 series fighter. Turns out the 6 series is now sedan only, or convertible. No more coupe.

BMW has quietly dropped the coupe body style from its 6-Series range for 2018. It means there are now just the 6-Series Convertible and 6-Series Gran Coupe options.

The M6 coupe has also disappeared along with the regular model.

A BMW spokesperson confirmed to Road & Track that the 6-Series coupe ended production in February, making the 2017 model year the last for the car. That month, combined sales of all 6-Series body styles came in at just 201 units for the United States.

The news doesn’t come as much of a surprise given the low sales. And don’t forget that BMW is working on a more luxurious 8-Series coupe to fill the void. The new car should arrive in about a year’s time. An 8-Series Convertible is also on the way to eventually replace the 6-Series Convertible.

It’s not clear whether BMW will also add an 8-Series Gran Coupe to replace the 6-Series Gran Coupe, but there’s a good chance it will considering the strong demand for high-end sedans in China and the U.S.

http://www.motorauthority.com/news/1110343_bmw-drops-6-series-coupe

 

[bogglo]

This is all I ask for. Give it a coupe shape some amazing headlight and tail light.
GS 300 > 260hp
GS 400 > 350hp
GS450h > 360hp
GSF > 480hp (lightweight, more torque. no need for unpractical power.)

 

[Izzam@RegencyAuto]

Food for thought...

MAG-X article that suggested that there is a LS wagon coming... What if this is the next GS based on the new GA-L platform is a wagon? I can see it possible since the GS is known for AWD and the LS is already getting the 4 door coupe lines that everyone is wishing for with the GS.

Who agrees a V6TT wagon for the next GS on the GS-L platform?

 

[bogglo]

I doubt it. there could be a wagon version like the E-class but I Don't think it would just be a wagon version. And since the LS is way bigger, I think that gives GS some room to grow.

 

[Izzam@RegencyAuto]

I doubt it. there could be a wagon version like the E-class but I Don't think it would just be a wagon version. And since the LS is way bigger, I think that gives GS some room to grow.

The LC is shorter with the same platform.

 

[bogglo]

LC is a 2 door Coupe. the GS is a sedan. two different cars.

 

[Carmaker1]

A detuned or downscaled version of V35A-FTS/engine family is sensible. The 240B ES introduces a new engine or two, so why haven't we seen new trademark filings? Like ES 400 and ES 300.

GS 300 will be a Dynamic Force offering, but a GS 400 only works with my proposed example.

GS 500h is the mostly likely hybrid offering at this point, but IDK yet of course.

 

[Carmaker1]

Hey guys - moved some of the GX/Prado posts into a new topic. Let's be sure to keep this to GS/ES. Thanks!

Oh, I see now why that happened. Honestly did not want to initially address the GX in thread, so thanks for the redirecting it to a new thread.

 

[PeterF]

This is all I ask for. Give it a coupe shape some amazing headlight and tail light.
GS 300 > 260hp
GS 400 > 350hp
GS450h > 360hp
GSF > 480hp (lightweight, more torque. no need for unpractical power.)

this is what I am hoping for

GS 300 306 HP v6
GS 400 360 - 400 HP, TTV6
GS 500 h ???
GSF 500 - 550 HP TTV8, lighter weight, TT will give it more torque in the low end

 

[Carmaker1]

It's OFFICIAL now. "Lexus will end Grand Sedan GS production in August 2020"

GS Cancelled

LEXUS will end production of the Grand Touring Sedan GS in August 2020. Along with this, the GS special edition "Eternal Touring" will be set and released on June 1 through Lexus stores nationwide.
The GS has been well-received as a grand touring sedan that combines the enjoyment of driving with a high-quality riding comfort for four generations since the first model was released in 1993. In Japan, with the opening of LEXUS in 2005, sales started from the third generation. The current model, which underwent a full model change in 2012, adopted the spindle grille, which is the design icon of today's LEXUS, for the first time, and pursued the joy of driving the car at will. Driving over 1 million km on the Nürburgring and other roads around the world, we have achieved thoroughly trained driving performance. This model aims to provide new value not only in driving performance, but also in areas of dynamic / static sensibility that cannot be measured by specifications.
Lexus International President Tsuneharu Sato
“The 4th generation GS was born under the strong desire of master driver Akio Toyoda to“ create the driving of LEXUS that we really enjoy and deliver to our customers ”. Therefore, as a model that opens up a new chapter of LEXUS, it also contributed greatly to the revolution in car making. The name "Eternal Touring" of the special-purpose car, thanks to the patronage of customers for 27 years globally, continues to inherit the commitment to grand touring that LEXUS has created so far even after the production of GS was discontinued. It is a thought that we will continue. LEXUS will continue to aim for continuous evolution in order to continue to provide the fun and joy that cars bring. ]
The "Eternal Touring", a special model car, is based on the GS450h / 350 / 300h / 300 "F SPORT" and has adopted a number of items that have been inherited from the "F", which is the symbol of LEXUS driving. The exterior features a black color scheme on the spindle grille, aluminum wheels, door mirrors, rear spoiler, and orange brake calipers on the GS450h and GS350 2WD "Eternal Touring." The interior is Alcantara popular in the GS F ® In addition to adopting the epidermis and carbon ornament panel, door trim and the meter, such as performing a red stitch shine in interior color of black on the hood, further door trim and some also of flare red skin of the steering By arranging the, the quality and sportiness are emphasized.

None of us had any reason to lie or wish for this, but they will definitely be ending production in August 2020 of the GS model line introduced in March 1993 and last redesigned per Job #1 in December 2011.

 

[maiaramdan]

RIP . GS!

 

[b.ba]

It's semi-official now.

GS Cancelled

None of us had any reason to lie or wish for this, but they will definitely be ending production in August 2020 of the GS model line introduced in March 1993 and last redesigned Job #1 in December 2011.

LEXUS CRAFTS THE “BEST EVER” GS INBLACK LINE SPECIAL EDITION MODEL - Lexus USA Newsroom

PLANO, Texas (April 23, 2020) – With signature Gloss Black F SPORT wheels and orange brake calipers available on RWD models, the 2020 Lexus GS 350 F SPORT Black Line Special Edition rolls into the lineup for summer. Available in both AWD and RWD, the 2020 Lexus GS Black Line combines the...

pressroom.lexus.com

This is basically the Black Line edition in the U.S.

 

[LexsCTJill]

The GS will live on as a FCEV similar to the Mirai

 

[Will1991]

The GS will live on as a FCEV similar to the Mirai

What's your source? If it's a rumor from Motor1 (I believe) it shouldn't be more than just that... A rumor...

 

[CRSKTN]

What's your source? If it's a rumor from Motor1 (I believe) it shouldn't be more than just that... A rumor...

Which was misinterpreted from things posted on here originally, i think.

 

[Lexus Cohen]

If true, bad move Lexus!

 

[LexsCTJill]

What's your source? If it's a rumor from Motor1 (I believe) it shouldn't be more than just that... A rumor...

Sorry. Should have said IMO. But what high-end Toyota does not have a Lexus version in the US? It makes total sense for them to do it. I have no doubt the GS will return somehow and some point.

 

[Carmaker1]

What's your source? If it's a rumor from Motor1 (I believe) it shouldn't be more than just that... A rumor...

Exactly it's false information, from Instagram's All Car News, who delete my comments whenever I correct the narrative and not from Motor1, who were actually misquoted. To be honest I am sick of it spreading around like wildfire.