The 2016 Lexus ES will be one of many major global models to debut at the Auto Shanghai show.
Count Lexus in as one of a growing list of manufacturers expected to make some significant news at the Shanghai Motor Show later this month. It’s offering a teaser image of the mid-cycle refresh planned for the ES luxury sedan.
The sixth-generation Lexus ES appears to get the latest version of the Japanese maker’s bold “spindle grille,” with the car in the teaser shot also featuring new headlights and LED daytime running lamps similar in design to what we’ve seen on other recent Lexus models.
Expect the 2016 Lexus ES to remain the more conservative of the brand’s offerings, the maker hinting in a brief release that it will “maintains its classical elegance while conveying a more dynamic experience and luxurious craftsmanship.”
The ES is one of the original Lexus models, debuting in 1989 with the first LS flagship. Over the years, it has grown in size from the first-generation compact. Its entry position has largely been taken over by the IS sedan and the new Lexus RC Coupe.
Short for “Executive Sedan,” the Lexus ES also has gotten more lavishly appointed with each subsequent generation. That includes the current, gen-6 offering, internally codenamed the XV60, that debuted in the 2013 model-year.
(Click Here to check out the 10 hottest debuts at the 2015 NY Auto Show.)
Sharing the same platform as the more down-market Toyota Avalon, the ES remains one of the few Lexus offerings not available with all-wheel-drive. While that may change in the future, the maker isn’t expected to announce such a major change when the 2016 Lexus ES debuts at Auto Shanghai on April 20th.
What’s expected is a focus on exterior design and interior refinement, though the mention of a “more dynamic experience” could hint at a more taut ride, perhaps even a boost in power.
The face of the ES should see the biggest change, with a much more pronounced spindle grille, new deep-set headlamps, black graphics, a sharper bumper, more angular foglights and boomerang-shaped LED running lights — all picking up on the basic cues we’re seen with recent launches like that new Lexus RC.
(Click Here to check out the new 2016 Honda Pilot.)
The interior should move a notch closer to the cool elegance of the flagship Lexus LS sedan, with more soft-touch materials and improved infotainment technologies.
Among other things, the 2016 Lexus ES is expected also to offer the new anti-collision suite of safety technologies, dubbed “Lexus Safety System +”, that the maker announced just prior to this month’s NY Auto Show. Designed to deliver a broad range of technologies, including Pre-Collision Warning, Active Cruise Control and Lane Departure Warnings, the new suite will be rolled out across the Lexus line-up at a price ranging from $500 to $635.
That’s significantly less than what many manufacturers are charging for individual component systems. Some command nearly $2,000 just for active cruise.
The launch of the Lexus ES comes at a time when Toyota’s upscale sibling is trying to reposition itself as a more “passionate” brand, putting more emphasis on design and performance than in the past – while not sacrificing traditional quality and reliability.
The Shanghai debut follows the roll-out of a new Lexus RX crossover at the NY show last week.
(Lexus goes for goosebumps with new 2016 RX. Click Here for a closer look.)