bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

hardly surprising.

The GS 350 will become the entry-level model in the range.

The Lexus GS may still be regarded as one of the core models of the Japanese luxury automaker but that could change soon. A report from last year revealed the company is taking a “strategic look” at the IS and GS sedans, which hints at a possible demise for both cars in the near future. While that’s not happening for the 2020 model year, the GS’ model range will be simplified.

A spokesman for Lexus has confirmed to CarsDirect the base GS 300 model will be discontinued after the 2019 model year. Basically, this will leave the sedan with just two available models, the GS 350 and the performance GS F. The move has a logical explanation though – people just don’t buy the entry-level GS anymore.

The GS 350 Is The New Base Model:

2017 Lexus GS 350 Review: Low On Sport, High On Value

"The GS 300 represented a small percentage of GS sales in 2018," Lexus spokesperson Alissa Moceri confirmed to our source. "We are constantly evaluating model mixes throughout our lineup."

For 2020, the base price of the GS 350 will be $52,420, while the range-topper GS F will start at $86,035. Compared to the 2019 model year, with the GS 300 still available at $47,885, this represents a price jump of the entry-level model by $4,535. With the GS, Lexus will continue to target “midsize sport sedan buyers who are looking for exciting performance, sumptuous luxury, and world-class quality."

Could A New Model Be In The Works After All?

Next-Gen Lexus GS May Have Been Spied Testing At The 'Ring

It will be interesting to see whether the GS, which was first introduced in its current generation back in 2011, will survive in its current form after 2020. Nothing has been officially confirmed so far but the company is obviously going to spend money on research and development for new vehicles that consumers want and will buy. Unfortunately, with sales of the GS in the low hundreds for the entire 2017, 2018, and 2019 so far, the future doesn’t seem bright for the luxury sedan.



More here:

https://www.motor1.com/news/366757/2...gs-300-killed/

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

Excellent. Leave the '300' for the smaller IS. The GS has it's proper base engine again. Like the Infiniti G25, the GS300 was not needed.

That 'GS' testing the 'Ring article is from 2017.

GFerg

My goodness, just kill the whole line already. Nearing a decade and they seem very disinterested in this class.

JDR76

No big loss on deleting the GS300. I think I've only seen one on the road, and it was a dealer loaner.

RNM GS3

I honestly didn’t even know that there even was a GS300.

If you can still lease a GS350 in the $500s then sales would be a lot better.

mmarshall

The GS300 uses a 2.0L turbo 4. The GS350 uses the N/A 3.5L V6.

peteharvey

I always thought the 4GS's 2003-10 BMW 5 Series inspired dashboard looked old, but the square boxy exterior is beginning to date too.
The 3.5 V6's economy is dated too, while the 8 speed auto tranny too slow to kick down.

Fizzboy7

Pretty useless article for the public, as it doesn't even note which engine the GS300 used vs. the GS350.
But anyway, we now see Lexus admit the GS300 was a bad idea (much of which we've been saying here for some time).
Finally, it would have been a better call to dump the four cylinder, but keep the same base price. There is no prize to be had when the base model is now considerably more expensive. When a model is struggling, you want low base prices, not higher ones. The GS will continue it's slump.

JDR76

I agree. My lease on my 15 (when GS sales were decent) was in the $500s. When I went to lease my 19, the GS was roughly the same price, but even with the same terms (36/10k) it was in the high $800s. Sucky lease deals are the biggest deterrent to sales, I think. I love the GS, but it's a car that should lease in the high $800s.

I'm not sure that the base price of the GS350 went up. I think it's just saying that you used to be able to get into a base GS (GS300) for $47k, but now the cheapest base GS (GS350) is $52k. Not totally certain, though, but that's how I read the article.

For what it's worth, my 19 has more features than my 15 did (HUD, power trunk, triple beams, cold weather package, the safety suite, etc.) but my 19 was only something like $400 more, so the value actually got better, at least in MSRP and for my particular model)

Kira X

iTrader: (24)

I work at a Lexus dealership and I've never seen a newer GS300. We only have the GS350 and occasionally a GS-F. I think they sold three hybrid GS'

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

just like several other models, no point in killing it if it’s easy profit.

fortunately mmarshall filled in the details.

I don’t recall from the article if it said the GS300 was being killed worldwide but it wasn’t necessarily a bad idea in other parts of the world where they tax on cylinders and engine size, so offering a 2L 4 makes sense so someone can have the ride without as much of the ‘go’ for a much better price there. But yeah, in the U.S. it doesn’t seem like it was a good move since people who know the GS like to think of it as a sporty sedan. the Mercedes E300 does have a turbo 4 as well though and sells like crazy! But it’s definitely not sporty in that popular guise.

the gs300 didn’t sell so it wasn’t really a ‘base price’.

I think lexus is happy to sell whatever they can, profitably. Fits into the ‘extend and hoard’ strategy i’ve outlined.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

Yeah if dealers never have them in stock even, hard to sell one.

Plus, dealers probably figure why confused the customer with a GS300 when they’d probably like an ES350 anyway.

Toys4RJill

When was the last time anyone chatted about the 2.0T GS in Car Chat? Just click bait for the sites posting this info. Nobody will miss the 2.0T GS

I agree.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

if you agree the GS line should be killed, even though it obviously makes Lexus money since the tooling is long paid for, etc., then why not kill the LS since it sells now in tiny numbers and they couldn't have made money on it yet i wouldn't think? for the record i do not think the GS or LS should be killed off!!

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

and it's not clickbait regardless of whether anyone in car chat talks about it, it's actual news, from Lexus.