Lexus has confirmed that it will stop production of GS sedans for the European market in April.
AutoRAI claims to have received the news straight from the Japanese car manufacturer and asserts that a new-generation ES will effectively replace the GS throughout the Old Continent.
To those that have been following developments with the GS in recent months, this news shouldn’t come as a surprise.
As a matter of fact, reports surfaced in April 2017 indicating that Lexus didn’t intend on launching a next-gen GS and would instead replace it with an updated ES. Whereas the GS has rear-wheel drive underpinnings, the next ES will be based on the cheaper front-wheel drive architecture of the Camry.
Ending production for European examples therefore appears to be the first nail in the coffin for the GS.
While this is sad, it’s hard to deny that the GS and ES are far too similar to each other to co-exist in the Lexus range. Furthermore, the GS has never been able to rival its German competitors, despite being praised in GS F guise for its naturally-aspirated 5.0-liter V8 and impressive handling.
Furthermore, the all-new LS is a significant step above the current model, meaning it too has encroached on the GS’ market.
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