oneeyejack

well if the rumor that the GS350 is supposed to be released in the fall, then yes.

i'm still baffled at why we haven't heard any more solid info on the US release of the GS350?!?!?!

Gojirra99

For the GS430, yes I suppose , if the GS460 is not coming out until next spring.

S L I C K

Lexus doesn't want to cannibalize 2006 GS sales with the announcement of the 2007 GS just yet.

XeroK00L

That depends how you define a "run". If you go by strictly the model names then yes, the '06 GS300 and GS430 are short-lived, but in terms of the 3rd-generation GS on a whole, it isn't going away anytime soon. A 5-year run is minimum I believe.

XeroK00L

Yes I was to say that weight kills the "sports" in the GS as a sports sedan, but on the second thought, you may be right. Knowing Lexus, I guess they are more likely to be going the AMG's way of "sports" than the M's, i.e. a powerful grand tourer rather than a true sports sedan.

In that case, a GS600h will definitely serve better as a grand tourer than a V10 GS as it offers more refinement, but it won't be nearly as exciting as a V10 GS for sure.

oneeyejack

they've announced the ls600/h and it's not coming out until 08 so i don't see why this would do anything.

Gojirra99

The LS600hL is a hybrid & much more of a niche car than the GS350. You can't really compare the GS300 & GS350 the same way you compare the regular gasoline LS & the hybrid LS600h IMO

I think the LS600hL will be available spring of 2007 as an early 08 model.

oneeyejack

sorry i meant to say the ls 460...not the h.

Gojirra99

Most people know the current LS430 has been out since fall of 2000 & should be due for a total redesign soon, so the the LS460 is much anticipated by most.

The GS300 just came out a year ago ,& the GS350 will be just an engine upgrade( & some minor changes in othe equipments). Also, more frequent engine upgrades like the Europeans is a new thing for Lexus.

Threxx

Why is a V10 expected? Because the M5 has a V10 and Lexus wants to play follow the leader? If anything they've always been about forging their own path, and have proven it to be successful based on sales. Lexus has a solid setup on their hands already with their hybrid V8, which would weight a bit more than a V10, but not that much more, especially if they setup a more limited battery capacity in the GS - ie almost like a capacitor, where the hybrid system is there just for short term performance and less for actual gas milage gains.

S L I C K

The 2007 LS 460 and 2008 LS 460h are for two different market segments. The 2006 GS 300 and 2007 GS 350 are for the same market segment. So with the announcement of the 2008 LS 460h Lexus is creating mind-share. On the other hand, if Lexus were to announce the 2007 GS 350 they would cannibalize the 2006 GS 300.

marshmallo

I agree. A V10 sounds like overkill in my book. I also think it is bad
public relations for Lexus and Toyota when they are trying to push this
"green" image that IMHO could pay off a lot more than selling 2000
niche cars a year. That's what F1 is for. Actually no, even they have
gone down to V8's LOL.

4TehNguyen

iTrader: (1)

many people already got wind of the GS350 coming out, GS300 sales are a great indication. GS350 cannibalizes nothing, how can a model of a totally different year cannibalize sales of a car thats in a different model year. Thats like saying the 2006 IS cannibalizes the 2005 IS

Trexus

I totally agree with you. Lexus will not play follow the leader. They're actually playing their own game. Lexus is leading by building the only V8 hybrid on the market (LS 600hL). Now BMW and Mercedes can follow the leader if they want to...

S L I C K

If Lexus officially announced the 2007 GS 350 now, a lot more potential 3GS buyers would hold off on the 2006 GS 300 and wait for the 2007 GS 350, thus cannibalizing 2006 GS 300 sales. I would be the owner of a shiny new 2006 GS 300 AWD if I never heard about the 2007 GS 350.