It’s a tough segment, isn’t it? Competing with the likes of the new BMW 5 Series and equally fresh-faced Mercedes-Benz E-Class, the Lexus GS executive sedan is facing an uphill battle.
But, if a new report out of Japan is to be believed, it won’t have to for much longer. Yes, it seems the Lexus GS may be about to be killed off.
According to Japanese magazine MAG-X, Toyota has decided to suspend the development of the next-generation Lexus GS, which was due to launch in 2018.
Why? Well, the publication speculates that Toyota’s luxury arm will instead focus its efforts on the latest LS (with the V6 model plugging the GS-shaped gap), as well as entirely new models, such as the upcoming UX crossover.
Of course, back in 2011, Toyota president Akio Toyoda had a few things to say about the GS, including the fact that he “didn’t want this car”, but was “fought like crazy” by regional management teams.
In 2016 in the United States, Lexus sold nearly 15 000 units of the GS, making the mid-size luxury sedan its third most popular model behind the ES and IS. And in South Africa? Well, in February 2017, the brand sold just a single unit…
