Rumours of the project to replace the Lexus IS having been cancelled have proved unfounded. A new model will be revealed soon, Toyota Motor Corporation has announced.
It is unclear how TMC made the business case, particularly as there will be no return to offering the car in estate form too as some had believed. In fact, Lexus Europe will not be offering the IS in any form, dashing speculation that a wagon might be coming for countries in northern Europe such as The Netherlands, Sweden, Germany and Britain.
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Lexus Europe’s region includes Russia too and a spokesman has confirmed to just-auto.com that the ES will remain the brand’s sole sedan in this size class, in all countries.
The outgoing model, though acclaimed by the media at the time of its launch in 2013, has never been a brisk seller in any market. Q1 deliveries for the USA were down 30% to 2,712 vehicles and last year, TMS USA sold only 14,920, a YoY drop of 35%. The story was similar in China, where just 19 cars found buyers in the first quarter and 2,614 in 2019 (-72%). By contrast, the Lexus ES was easily the number one imported vehicle amongst Chinese buyers (93,578 last year, with the Lexus RX in second place: 40,465).
There was little surprise when suggestions circulated that it would be phased out during 2020, leaving the similarly sized but by contrast front-wheel drive ES as Lexus’ sole model in the D/E segment, the GS having also been axed. The arrival of a new IS likely also means that an all-wheel option for the ES won’t now happen.
China, the US, Japan, Canada and Australia will likely be the main markets for the new sedan, which should be offered with a petrol-electric hybrid powertrain and potentially, a gas-only engine too. This could also be the launch vehicle for Lexus’ long delayed entry to Mexico.
The new IS should use TMC’s (rear-wheel drive) GA-L architecture and be manufactured at the Tahara plant in Japan.
[6 June update: a media release notes, “Considering the recent global situation, Lexus has respectfully postponed the premier of the New IS, which was originally scheduled for 8:00 am. Japan Standard Time June 10. Revised timing will be announced soon”.]
