Lexus GS Coupe in the pipeline?

Are Lexus planning a GS Coupe?

Lexus Corporate Manager of Product Planning, Ben Mitchell, has hinted to journalists that the 2012 GS could spawn a Lexus GS Coupe.

The feedback so far on the 2012 Lexus GS has been very positive; the new GS seems, finally, to offer a real alternative for enthusiastic drivers to the offerings from BMW. Mercedes, Audi and Jaguar.

There are hopes – still not confirmed by Lexus – that the new GS could get produced as an M5-style GS-F with V8 power and clever handling. And it’s the hope that Lexus will produce the GS-F that’s brought to light the possibility fo a GS Coupe.

Talking to journalists at the launch of the new GS in the States, Ben Mitchell, Lexus Corporate Planning Manager, was asked if Lexus were planning a GS-F. Mitchell, disappointingly, said there was nothing to announce on the GS-F, but instead of leaving it at that he asked the questioners what they thought of the Audi A5 and S5.

That has been taken as veiled confirmation of Lexus intention to enter the fray with a coupe version of the new GS. Which, to the uninitiated, may seem like a tenuous connection to make at best, and baseless conclusion at worst. But in the world of car PR, it’s not.

Car makers don’t like to spill the beans – or even intimate there may be beans to spill – and go out of their way to obfuscate. Just like Jaguar did when we confronted them with proof that they were testing a 2.2 diesel XF and they retorted by saying they had no plans to put the small diesel in the XF.

So Ben Mitchell was almost certainly putting out signals about a GS Coupe. The GS Coupe may not be ready to roll out any time soon, but it does seem likely Lexus are at least considering it, and are flying a kite for feedback.

Watch this space.