einsatz

Nice. Looks more grown up. I wonder what the rear will look like, considering the recent pukalific rear ends in the ES300 & Solara. They'll probably keep the Altezza-style lights, right? I mean, it is an Altezza!

blackmagiCL_S

Whoa, from the last pic I thought it looked very "new TL". That pic looks very...jellybean with a Lexus grill? Dunno. I'll wait to see it in person. I think my next car will be 4dr performance with RWD. I am very interested in this thread. I liked the last IS300 from the outside. The inside was @ss.

dozorca

The IS350 should be at minimum 250hp/250tq... That should be enough to go after cars in its class.

chungkopi

noice!!!!

titan

Not bad. Nicer than the current one. It looks real nice in black (luv the black rims).

goldmemberer

I wanna see a manufacturer do black rims with chrome lip STOCK... if they went with that design, for a black car to have those kinda rims as some A-SPEC type package would fucking rock.

Too bad that's impractical as hell.

gavriil

So now that we saw the LFC, the question is, how does that compare to the above image. My answer: hard to tell.

Black CL-S 4-Life

Looks alot better than the old one but I think its still slightly underpowered, 270 would be optimal.

Loseit

iTrader: (1)

Lincoln Mark VII LSC

charliemike

Why is it that photographers just will not take a profile shot of a car? Do they teach them in the first day of photog school that you shouldn't do that? Is it considered "passé?" or a faux pas?

In this case I'm sure it's a marketing thing, but nonetheless it irks me.

I looked at those pics from the NYAS and there were very few profile shots. I think back to the Saab 9-2x and the Volvo S40 as two other examples where profile shots were long overdue.

titan

The more I look at it the more i like it.

Crazy Bimmer

not sure how legit this is

Crazy Bimmer

D'oh, sorry gav.. i thought my pic was new! I didnt look on the first page

pimpscls

that looks sweet, pretty sporty and aggresive looking

runnerX

looks like the current Corolla no??

Rod

Reminds me of the TSX.

1SICKLEX

The next IS takes LF-S and LF-C styling cues.

chungkopi

i hope they make it just like this.

amir was here

red one looks like TL/TSX/Corrolla

03TL-S

Hopefully they dont follow too much on the designs of the new GS cuz that car isnt that great looking from the exterior.

03TL-S

knowing lexus...it would probably be similar but they would tone it down to the point where it looks bland and boring

titan

Yep. Which is Lexus' achilles' heel. If they just left some of the bold concepts alone they'd have great design in they're lineup. The GS is attractive, but in that generic Lexus mold. It came out exactly how I thought it woud, with no surprises.

dabuda

the front looks kinda high or the windshield is kinda small

1SICKLEX

The GS is generic? WTF? Name a non-generic sedan then? Even I am not a fan of the new styling totally but jeeez, the Lexus styling bashing is bullshit. On the LS has had no style. The rest of the line-up has always been stylish. WTF?

Zoot

stop looking for a fight, he said it was attractive in thta generic lexus mold. I see what he is saying and it's not bashing your beloved company, so calm down

03TL-S

The LS is the one that i think has the most appeal. That car is the nicest in the lexus lineup imo. The rest are just okay. The interiors are awesome but the styling isnt really there.

heyitsme

I kinda agree, think lexus needs a new styling identity, like the recent concepts shown. Their current lineup is all over the place, the outthere Es, the aging Gs, the sedate Ls, the Is with yet another style, the new Gx with a new suv style seperate from the Rx. Find a look and stick with it already.

HyDrOpOnIkToKa

looks like a damn rx-8

1SICKLEX

Well, looks like that is what BMW wants to do. Make their cars look different but have some styling cues. Clearly people don't care if they don't look alike.
I think having all your cars look alike but one bigger than the other is old at this point.
A3, A4, A6, A8
3, 5, 7
C, E S
All look like bigger versions of one another. It's not a bad thing at all but IMO, not original.
But looks like Lexus wants to go that route now, with the new cars looking similar.

03TL-S

I agree, the europeans do have similar looks in the different classes. Not a bad thing at all. Lexus isnt exactly going that direction since none of the lexus brand cars look the same. Rather, lexus is sharing the similar looks with its lower counterpart toyota. From what i've noticed, there is a little less differentiation among the lexus and toyota cars

Infamous425

even though there are no real pix/stats out on the IS yet i'd still get one over the new 3 series.

1SICKLEX

I am not supposed to share but I think posting here is harmless. Lexus dealer owners were informed the IS430 AWD will come out in 2006 with smart key option. It will be released 1 year after the next gen IS next fall. So fall 2006.
They will have the IS 4 doors, AWD, 2 doors and convertible to complete with the 3's.
2006 is the big year for Lexus.

Still no sketches to share, sorry. And Lexus spy pics are some of the hardest to find. Or maybe people ain't looking, lol.

EZZ

The current IS300 is nice but waaaaay underpowered. If it doesn't do 0-60 under 6, not really interested. Hoping that the next iteration will compete effectively with the TL, G35, and 330.

titan

Whhooaaa... that's tight. I was expecting a full line from Lexus for the next gen IS (sedan,convertible,coupe, and maybe a wagon). I was less sure they'd offer a V8. That's tight. Can't wait to see some pics (or sketches). I hope the next gen G get's the V8 option.

1SICKLEX

It will. The current 3700 lbs GS 430 does 5.8 with the 5 speed auto. The 4000lbs LS 430 does it in 5.9 with the NEW 6-speed.
So a 3300lbs IS 430 with a 6-speed is a low 5 second car. This is keeping the current rating at 300hp and 325lbs torque. If this rating goes up, it may be a flat 5 second car.
I expect the IS 330 to be a low 6 second car.

Crazy Bimmer

Now lets hope they can design a decent interior.

EZZ

If the IS430 was out when I got my g-coupe...I probably wouldn't have gotten the g-coupe. With that said, Toyota has gotten too conservative lately. If they do bring out the IS430, I will be in absolute shock. Time will tell....

1SICKLEX

I dunno dawg. The IS will remain to be the Yin to the ES 330 Yang. No in-between. But at least the interior will be of higher quality plastic.

bullseye007

Toyota's Lexus Plans a Redesign of Its Lineup
The U.S.' No. 1 luxury car brand is seeking to attract younger buyers with sportier offerings.


By John O'Dell, Times Staff Writer
September 7, 2004



When Toyota Motor Corp. rolled out its Lexus brand 15 years ago, rival auto executives snickered at the prospect of a Japanese automaker hitting it big in the tough U.S. luxury-car market.

The doubters were asleep at the wheel. By 2000, Lexus had shot past the Americans and Europeans to become the bestselling luxury auto brand in the nation.

Now Lexus' challenge is to avoid the complacency that toppled other luxury leaders during its ascent.

The brand built its success with a reputation for reliability, consistently placing in the top ranks of customer satisfaction surveys.

"They have become successful because of bulletproof reliability and durability, great customer service and because they went for the sweet spot of the market with [softer] American ride and handling," said automotive market analyst Jim Hossack of Tustin-based AutoPacific Inc.

Lexus also astutely targeted a customer base of baby boomers entering their peak earning years.

But rivals sell to the same crowd of fiftysomethings. And in recent years General Motors Corp.'s Cadillac, BMW and DaimlerChrysler's Mercedes-Benz all have done a better job of attracting the more serious automotive enthusiasts among boomers by offering models with bigger engines, faster acceleration, stiffer handling and more daring styling.

"Lexus is the most conservative of the luxury brands," said Jeff Schuster, senior director of global forecasting at J.D. Power & Associates, the Westlake Village automotive market research firm. "They are facing more challenges from competitors hoping to knock them down, so they cannot afford to let up."

Dennis Clements, 59, head of U.S. operations for Lexus, part of Toyota Motor Sales USA in Torrance, acknowledges that the brand's core market of aging boomers "is not a good one to build an image in."

To keep the marque fresh and draw younger buyers, Lexus is redesigning its entire lineup over the next four years. "You'll see sportier cars, more powerful cars and trucks, [with] a wider range of engines," he said.

First up early next year is the RX 400 sport utility, the nation's first luxury gas-and-electric-powered hybrid vehicle.

Unlike Toyota's popular gas-miserly Prius compact, the RX 400 will be all about power and performance. An electric motor will augment a six-cylinder gas engine, boosting power from 230 horsepower in the current RX 330 model to 270 hp in the hybrid. The hybrid RX, with a base price expected to top $45,000, also will be equipped with a new electronic stability system.

Next will be redesigned Lexus GS sedans, with all-wheel-drive options, out in the spring.

Convertible and coupe versions of Lexus' sportiest car, the IS 300 sedan, are due as 2006 models, with a new Lexus sport wagon styled like a lower, leaner SUV expected in 2007. The wagon is the first of a series of new crossovers — wagon or SUV styles built on conventional passenger car platforms — that Lexus is planning, Clements said. Many will be offered both as conventional gasoline-engine vehicles and as hybrids.

All-wheel drive will also become an option on most Lexus vehicles. And an electronic stability control system that the company claims is far ahead of anything now available will debut next year.

"We intend to give our buyers best-in-class performance at all levels," Clements said.

This year Lexus has kept its top spot in the U.S. luxury market. It sold 188,693 cars and trucks through August, up 14.9% over the same period last year.

Lexus' competitors are trying hard to catch up.

BMW remains in second place this year with sales of 169,480 vehicles, a 4.7% gain. And GM's Cadillac division is closing in fast with an onslaught of new models: the Escalade and SRX sport utility vehicles, the CTS coupe and the XLR. The new offerings helped boost Cadillac's vehicle sales to 149,683 through August, up 10.7%.

"Lexus, in a very quiet way, is a competitor with ruthlessly applied high standards," Cadillac spokesman Jeff Kuhlman said. "Our objective isn't volume leadership. That gap is pretty big. What we are working to reestablish is image superiority."

For all the new Lexus models in the works, Clements talks a lot about the need to add a flagship vehicle priced at around $100,000.

It could be a four-door sedan to compete with Mercedes-Benz's big S-Series sedan (the top-end model costs about $122,000), and BMW's redesigned 7-Series (around $117,000). Mercedes, Clements points out, has a dozen models that sell for $70,000-plus, "while at Lexus we have none."

A $100,000 Lexus wouldn't be a volume leader for the company but would help bolster its image, said analyst Hossack.

Lexus may also introduce a high-performance hybrid sports car that would wildly expand the boundaries of the hybrid genre, he said.

Besides the new models, Toyota has pressed its Lexus dealers to maintain their high reputation for service. Nationally, Lexus dealers have spent close to $800 million in the last year adding repair bays and technicians to keep pace with the brand's sales growth.

At Tustin Lexus, the nation's first Lexus dealership, general manager Mike D'Amato has started a night shift in his crowded service department so that customers can pick up their cars in the morning.

"They start at 5 p.m., and they stay until the day's jobs are done. They're often still there when I come in at 8 a.m.," he said.

For all of Toyota's success with Lexus in the U.S., overseas the brand is largely unknown. So Lexus is redoubling efforts in Europe, where sales have lagged well behind the European luxury brands since its introduction there in 1990. And next year the Lexus brand is being launched as a stand-alone luxury nameplate in Japan and China, the fastest-growing auto market.

Back in the U.S., though, Lexus is still expected to set the pace in the luxury market.

"We may be a lap ahead of the competition, but we act like we're a lap behind," Clements said. "That's what makes us a tough competitor."

Time For Sleeep

Always been an IS fan. Can't wait for the new one to show