abbeyrd

I do not know about the other areas of the US, but in the Northeast, I believe sales have been quite poor for the GS. It's been a dog for Lexus. I rarely see any int he tri-state area. And if I do see one, it's usually an AWD GS300. I think I have only seen one GS430. I'm sure the IS350 is taking sales away from the GS430. Lukewarm reviews haven't helped either.

marshmallo

Funny, but I see lots of GS300AWD around here in MA. I would not say
it's been a dog since it still sells above 2000 units a month, but probably a
little below expectations. For an example of true dog look at the Acura RL.
700 units in December or something like that.

Plus, I am not sure Lexus expects to sell a lot of GS's. It's been kind
of an afterthought for Lexus for the last several years. They are much more
focused on RX, ES and LS. IS will probably gain huge momentum as well.
I am starting to see a lot of them.

To be honest with you, I am perfectly fine with this. I don't want a car
everyone and his cousin has like a 3 series

INHOCJP

Thanks for the update

FWIW, I see lots of GS's here in So. Cal ( and also tons of Es and 5s). And of course you'll see more 300s than 430s, just like you'll see more E350s than E500s and more 550s than 530/525s.

GFerg

I see tons of new Gs300's, but rarely see any GS430's around my area. My neighbor has an IS350, and that is about the extent of IS that i see.

trent

I haven't seen too many GS's around here either, but the one's I have seen have mostly all been GS300's, a few 430's.

Bocatrip

The GS is geared to a luxury market and is supposed to be a soft cushy ride. If it started riding hard due to better handling, it might lose some of it's market share due to the type of person who purchases this car. I also agree, that I like the fact there are not that many on the road. Don't forget it is not a cheap car either. BMW will always sell because of it's Mystique. As ugly as the 5 series is, it still sells, and as much as they have toned the 3 down with the new mundane looks it still sells like crazy. IT's a BMW

cliffud

iTrader: (3)

i see a lot in phoenix/scottsdale...

Mixman

I totally agree. I don't want to see a whole lot of GS's all over the place. That's what turns me off about the 3 series, like when you go to a parking lot you better know your license plate number if you want to find your car !

bhuwan

I agree also -- ilike to be unique on the road :-) --

But are GS sales really doing poorly?

gbondioli

I rarely see them in the Milwaukee, WI area. I spend one hour on the freeway each day, and I've only seen 1 GS430 and 2 GS300's total in 2006! I have seen maybe half-a-dozen 2GS's, also. I don't need any mods to be unique around here!

marshmallo

It seems that Infiniti's M is now outselling the GS, which is not that surprising,
since it addresses many of the GS's supposed shortcomings : Power, Handling
and large backseat. Keep in mind the competition in this segment is brutal :
5 series, E class, M, GS, A6, RL.

I would also be hesitant to say it's a complete dog until the GS350 comes out
with that powerful engine and 5th generation NAV.

Mixman

I think the reason the GS sales are down is because Lexus is pushing the ES and IS series at this point. If you see comercials you will probably see those for the ES or IS. I can't remember the last time I have seen a GS comercial. I think this is because of who they are marketing to. The IS line is marketed more for the young, sporty crowd and the ES line more for the older crowd that wants luxury but is budget conscious. I think right now the GS doesn't have much of an identity within Lexus or even to the general consumer. Is it a luxury car, is it a sporty car or a combo of both ? How do we market it ?

oldcajun

I'm not surprised that sales are slow and getting slower. The new GS missed the mark in several areas. The most critical, I believe, is in interior room and trunk space. For a luxury car, they are small. The use of the 3 liter 6 in the GS300 leaves it hurting for power. All of the competitors have larger engines and better performance. The GS should be the Lexus mid-price car to compete with 5 Series, E Class, A6, and M. It is smaller than any of these. It is not the all out sport sedan like the IS, so has a limited niche. Styling, luxury, quality, etc. are not enough if you can't get an adult in the back seat. The new ES350 will steal even more sales.

The Acura RL is in the same boat. Small interior, small trunk, average performance, stiff price - no wonder the sales are so slow. The TL is 90% as much car for 60% of the price.

The GS is a car that needs a makeover. Maybe the full sport sedan treatment without all the electronic nannies and a 460 V8 is the way to go.

Steve

oneeyejack

i don't thikn that's enough to make up for it. larger back seat is a HUGE advantage especially for families.

UberNoob

ive only seen one in my area so far
it was last year
parked in a korean supermarket so im suspecting koreans bought it since its population there makes it highly probable

but thats all the new GS ive seen