Automotive News - August 11, 2008 - (Page 29) AUGUST 11, 2008 • 29 FUTURE PRODUCT SERIES JAPAN BRANDSM JAPAN BRANDS Lexus cars await redesign while buyers snub trucks Mark Rechtin mrechtin@crain.com Toyota’s luxury division is in a bit of a pickle. Lexus sales have been weighted toward the RX 350 crossover and large SUVs at a time when the market is moving away from those vehicles. Also, Lexus released a sequence of passenger cars several years ago, which are starting to look dated while still a couple of years away from redesign. On the plus side, the RX 350 redesign is just around the corner. Also, with consumers rapidly embracing hybrids, Lexus will get the only dedicated-hybrid luxury model next year. Many people have traded in luxury vehicles to get a Toyota Prius. Imagine the fervor for a thrifty hybrid vehicle that does not sacrifice luxury. IS: The IS likely has been pushed to a six-year cycle, as Lexus takes more of a BMW approach with alternating sheet metal and powertrain changes every three years. Lexus recently trademarked the names IS 250C, IS 300C and IS 350C, which would indicate a coupe is coming. Today, it sells only a sedan. Expect a coupe/convertible to arrive in the spring of 2009 as a 2010 model. The sedan’s restyled sheet metal happens for the 2012 model year. ES: The ES is in lock step with the Toyota Camry platform, and Camry stays on a five-year cycle. The ES 350 The LF-1 high-performance car gets styling cues from the LF-A concept, right. redesign will come in the spring of 2011 as a 2012 model. The next generation will offer a hybrid model, borrowing the V-6 from the RX 400h. GS: The idea of a GS-F high-performance sedan — think BMW M5 fighter — has been put on hold until the economy improves. Designers are debating styling issues for the redesign due for the 2011 model year. LS: As a midcycle change, the LS lineup gets all-wheel drive and a reskin for the 2010 model year. The redesign happens for the 2013 model year. SC: The aging SC hardtop/convertible has been in the Lexus line since 2001. The SC rides on a dedicated, expensive platform, which has some within Toyota arguing for its eventual demise. At this point, there is a market for the car, although small. Just 1,373 cars were sold in the United States in the first seven months of the year. A redesign is unlikely. Some within Lexus believe the upcoming IS will satisfy most Lexus convertible buffs. LF-1: The LF-1 high-performance car had been expected this year but has been delayed for at least two reasons. Insiders say the LF-1 is not hitting performance objectives in line with a $160,000-plus performance car. Second, launching a six-figure sports car into a global recession might doom it. At this point, Lexus likely will wait until the spring of 2010 to bring it to market as a 2011 model. Of course, by that time, the car’s styling will be stale. The first concept with styling cues that will be seen on the LF-1 debuted in 2005. Hybrid model: Lexus will get its own hybrid-only car, but in a different configuration and design from the Toyota Prius. It is likely to arrive in early 2010 as a 2011 model. The car is likely to be a four-cylinder small sedan. Typically, Lexus hybrids have been about performance, but this one will be Lexus’ first hybrid vehicle designed primarily to be fuel thrifty. Small crossover: A Lexus version of the awd RAV4 will be created for the Japanese and European markets. Previously, the United States did not want it, but that was before $4-a-gallon gasoline. Now, with such vehicles as the Volvo XC60 and BMW X3 taking off, there is a contingency plan to bring it here for the 2013 model year. RX 350: A redesign comes in early 2009 as a 2010 model, looking quite similar to the 2007 Tokyo show vehicle. Expect it to keep its successful recipe as the ultimate suburban transport, while growing slightly larger. Buyer demographics show no desire for a third-row seat, so there won’t be one. Expect the hybrid variant to get more power, as Toyota already has filed trademarks on RX 430h, RX 440h and RX 450h. GX 470: The Toyota 4Runner’s assembly line twin is out of sequence with its sibling by a couple of years. That gives Lexus time to evaluate whether it needs two big truck-based SUVs. A possible replacement for today’s GX is a seven-seat, car-based crossover that might keep the GX name. The car-based vehicle would be derived from the Lexus HPX Concept, which was based on the GS sedan platform. A review is under way, meaning the timetable for a redesign is fluid. LX 470: It was redesigned for the 2008 model year. No major changes are planned in the next several years given the collapse of the SUV market.c http://www.manheim.com http://www.manheim.com
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