yardie876

Of course parts sharing does occur... Just look at your cruise control stalk. Parts sharing is very different than sharing the underpinnings with a Toyota. Toyota (aide from a few models overseas mentioned) does not have a RWD based car, and that alone makes the GS uniquely Lexus.

jtrue28

The Avalon and GS are in NO WAY alike. Jesus tapdancing Christ.

jjscsix

What you have to know is that Lexus is essentially an American brand. Many Lexus products are Toyotas in other countries. They may not be exactly like what we see, but they share platforms. . So the volumes are more than what we think of as Lexus.

I don't claim to be overly familiar with overseas cars, but the GX is a good example. It's nearly identical to the Prado in other countries (and it actually does share a platform with the 4Runner).

KJD3

The GS chassis is not shared with any Toyota.

The ES, NX, RX, Highlander, Venza, Rav-4, and Avalon all share the Camry platform, or variations of the Camry platform.

2Squared

Yes, it shares the same platform as the Corolla..............

peteharvey

OP, you are correct.
The post about GS using an unique-to-Lexus platform is NOT correct.

The GS is indeed a stylish & sporty modification based on the Japanese Domestic Market JDM Toyota Crown.
The original GS was actually styled in Italy by Giorgetto Giugiaro of Italdesign.

While the Corolla is Toyota's biggest selling nameplate, the Crown is Toyota's longest selling name plate, being on sale since 1955.

Lexus was originally only available in export markets, and there was NO Lexus dealership networks in Japan such that:
1) The LS was sold in Japan as the Toyota Celsior.
2) The GS was sold in Japan as the Toyota Aristo.
3) The ES was sold in Japan as the Toyota Windom.
4) The IS was sold in Japan as the Toyota Altezza.

By 2005, Lexus had established a dealership network in Japan.

The Japanese Domestic Market Toyota Crown actually comes in two additional variants called the Majesta [luxury], and Athlete [sports].
All four generations of Lexus GS's have been based on sporty styling and suspension modifications of the Japanese Domestic Toyota Crown.
The Lexus GS is just an even more sporty styling and suspension modification of the Crown.
The drivelines are all shared.

For example:
1983-87 Toyota Crown



1987-91 Toyota Crown



1991-95 Toyota Crown


Crown Majesta [luxury]


1991-98 Lexus GS [Toyota Aristo] 1st Gen



1995-99 Crown


Crown Majesta



1998-05 Lexus GS [2nd gen]



1999-03 Crown


Crown Majesta [luxury]


Crown Athlete [sports]



2003-08 Crown


2008-12 Crown


2005-12 Lexus GS [3rd gen]



2012-18 Crown Athlete [sports]






2012-19 Lexus GS [4th gen]







2018-onwards Toyota Crown






2019-26 Lexus 5GS [5th gen]???

SW17LS

The important thing to realize is what somebody means when they ask "Is the GS based on any Toyota product?". They are asking about US Spec Toyota products, not products of Toyota in Japan or worldwide. The answer to that question is "no", the GS is not based on any Toyota platform or product available in the US, such as the ES being based off the Avalon, etc.

peteharvey

That's only "your assumption" about US spec Toyota products; the opening post is a general question.

In any case, before the deliberate creation of Lexus in the late 1980's, both the Toyota Cressida rear drive compact midsizer, and the Toyota Crown rear drive midsize - sharing the same platform & engines - was sold in international markets in left hand drive, including the USA.
It was the availability of the Lexus derivatives that created two tiers, and deliberately stopped the export of Toyota Cressidas and Crowns, from then on reserved solely for the Japanese Domestic Market.




1974-79 Toyota Crown


1979-83 Toyota Crown


1976-80 Toyota Cressida


1984-88 Toyota Cressida


1988-92 Toyota Cressida

SW17LS

I've been posting on Lexus forums for a LONG time. Ask somebody who asks this question what they mean by it. I'm quite confident they mean US spec Toyota models, as in "what Toyota do I see on a regular basis that the GS is the Lexus version of". Most people think about models they know, not what is not sold in their home country.

As always, your many pictures are very nice but I'm not sure what point they serve...

peteharvey

Back in the 1970's and 1980's, many Americans owned luxury Toyotas, especially the Cressida.
In the early 1990's, these Cressidas and Crowns were replaced by Lexiis.
It is a name change - a dedicated luxury division for Toyota.
However, the underlying genetics remains the same.
Our 1988 Toyota Cressida already had twin cam 24 valve engine with 4 valves per head, and a four speed auto with lock up torque converter.
Our Cressida already had Toyota's metal-resin-metal sandwich firewall to reduce noise.
Our Cressida already had front double wishbone and rear multilink suspension to keep the tires perpendicular to the road surface to maximize grip.
Our Cressida had tremendous durability and reliability.
The name has changed, but underneath lies the same company with the very same DNA...

SW17LS

1. The Crown was never sold in the US, and even in Asian markets they sell the GS/Aristo alongside the Crown, so no Lexus replaced the Crown.
2. Your Cressida did not become any Lexus model, nor was it replaced in the lineup by Lexus or by a Lexus model. It was replaced by the Avalon, a full-sized car sold at the same price point and content level, with a US spec Camry derived transverse platform.

Of course the DNA is there, its the same company, but the Cressida did not become a Lexus, no Lexus was built off of any platform ever used for the Cressida.

peteharvey

Point is, before your time - was the Mark II/Cressida and Crown - sharing the same platforms and engines.
Btw, I have seen a few left hand drive Toyota Crowns in the USA.
By the late 80's early 90's, Lexus GS came in, but GS shares the same platforms and engines with Mark II/Crown - only the skin deep styling and the suspension rates are different - there are now two minor variations of the same car for two different markets, similar to Benz E Class versus Benz CLS, or 5 Series versus 6 Series etc.

With the advent of technology, transport and communication, we are now "globalized", such that it is pertinent to view platforms and engines from a global perspective.

SW17LS

But thats not what we're talking about. Those vehicles were not Lexus vehicles and they are not currently made.

Perhaps imported here, but never sold here.

peteharvey

Steve, you have to learn to be more open-minded, and mindful of how Americans from the 70's and 80's who have owned generations of Toyota Cressidas in the United States perceive the Lexus GS which shares platforms and engines with the Cressida/Mark II/Mark X/Crown - which is what this thread is about.

Focus on voicing your own opinions, rather than being opinionated and negative of someone else's opinions.

SW17LS

It's not about being open minded or not, we're talking about the Lexus GS and whether it's platform is shared with a Toyota model. All your discussion of Cressidas and whatever from decades and decades ago has nothing to do with the topic. The Cressida was an entirely different sort of car than the GS. The closest allegory to a modern Toyota is the Avalon, and that was the car Toyota released to replace the Cressida in its lineup. I have two uncles who had Cressidas in the 80s and 90s...what does one of them have now? An Avalon.

It's fine to have an opinion, but ones own version of facts are not opinions. You can't have an opinion that the Crown was sold here. It wasn't.

The only point I made was I think when most people ask this question they mean what US Toyota model.