Is this the 2016 Lexus GS F?

Hoping to add still more performance to its traditional mainstream luxury line-up, Lexus has confirmed it will introduce a second, “track-ready” model at the North American International Auto Show next month.

While it isn’t providing any specific details about the new model, there’ve been plenty of sightings of prototype Lexus GS F sedans running around, notably while undergoing testing at Germany’s famed Nurburgring race track.

The new model would all but certainly share the basic 5.0-liter V-8 found under the hood of the 2015 Lexus RC F model launched over the summer. But given the bigger size and weight of a mid-range GS, the performance version will but certainly get a bump up from the 467 horsepower and 389 pound-feet of the smaller RC F model.

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To handle all that power, the new track-ready model would clearly need to be able to breathe better, improve cooling and have added stopping power.  Spy photos have shown a GS F prototype featuring a revised front fascia, distinctive LED lamps, larger air intakes and significantly upgraded brakes – in line with the modifications made to the RC F version.

A Lexus GS F would almost certainly deliver more power than the current RC F's 467 hp.

Lexus has hinted that it will have two new cars to show at the upcoming Detroit Auto Show, and it is possible the new track model would actually be an IS F, reviving the original high-performance model it launched in the Motor City eight years earlier.

There is a very small possibility that the Japanese maker, the luxury arm of Toyota Motor Co., will use its time in the spotlight to talk about a new supercar, the long-anticipated replacement for the limited-run LFA model of a few years back.

What seems clear is that Lexus will be putting an emphasis on performance and will attempt, in the words of Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda, to pump up the brand’s “passion” quotient.

It has traditionally put more of an emphasis on its green credentials – Lexus currently offers more hybrid models than any other luxury make. But with competitors like Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Audi pushing into that familiar turf, Lexus now wants to turn the tables and take on German luxury sub-brands like Mercedes’ AMG.

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That said, few expect it to downplays hybrids, and it’s possible Detroit could bring more news on that front, as well. The overall hybrid market has not been growing as fast as many expected, and the current plunge in fuel prices certainly isn’t helping. On the other hand, luxury buyers have been less focused on saving money and more on having the bragging rights that goes with buying the latest in environmentally friendly technologies.

But even green brands, such as Tesla, have discovered that luxury buyers don’t want to sacrifice performance for mileage. They want both, at least as an option. So, with the addition of an F model, Lexus GS buyers would have a wide range of options, including a hybrid, and a performance model.

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