Less than two weeks after lifting the covers on its next-generation GS 350 sedan, Lexus is offering up a tease of what’s to come, later this year, when it formally unveils two other spin-offs from the midsize GS line: the performance-oriented F-Sport and gas-electric GS 450h.
The hybrid will make its debut at the upcoming Los Angeles Auto Show, an increasingly common backdrop for environmentally-friendly products. The F-Sport, meanwhile, will be revealed at the annual SEMA show, an aftermarket extravaganza in Las Vegas.
The GS has traditionally been the sportiest line in the Lexus model mix, other than the track-ready IS-F, (which was the first F-Sport model). Curiously, the original GS 450h was intended to demonstrate the performance potential of gas-electric technology, though critics said it was neither fish nor fowl, neither sporty enough nor fuel-efficient enough.
The new hybrid model is expected to put more of a focus on mileage with an updated version of the current Synergy Drive system, which mates a 3.5-liter V-6 to a compact electric motor.
That would make the GS F-Sport the clear performance model. But how much more it will offer than the car we just saw introduced in Pebble Beach remains to be seen. Our friends at AutoBlog suggest it will be nothing more than a “trim-and-tape job,” with the changes limited to appearance details like the mesh grille shown in the teaser shot.
There may very well be some minor updates to the suspension, however, focusing on a flatter more nimble ride experience. But don’t expect the big V-8 that Lexus unleashed with the IS-F, our sources caution.
The new Lexus GS is a critical product for the Toyota luxury brand – so much so the automaker brought in Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda for the unveiling, which came during the nearly week-long run-up to the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.
“I drive our engineers crazy,” said the grandson of Toyota’s founder, who bills himself a serious gearhead. Toyoda insisted he spent a lot of personal time behind the wheel of the GS – though he made a similar claim for the new 2012 Toyota Camry updated, which is getting mixed reviews for its driving dynamics. (For the 2012 Toyota Camry review, Click Here.)
Nonetheless, it’s clear that the 2012 Lexus GS has an important role to fill. The brand’s typical buyer has been aging, with sales slumping, and both traditional competitors and new ones – like Hyundai – hoping to take Lexus down a peg. The new model will have to draw in a younger, hipper and more affluent buyer to kick-start the brand’s momentum.