Lexus GS DROPPED in Europe - new 4WD Lexus ES to take its place?

Lexus GS DROPPED in Europe

It appears the Lexus GS – the Lexus competition for cars like the BMW 5 Series and Mercedes E Class – has been dropped in Europe. Will it be replaced by a new 4WD Lexus ES?

We’re rather fond of the Lexus GS, a competitor for cars like the BMW 5 Series and Mercedes E Class, which manages to offer a different combination of abilities from the German (and Jaguar) offerings, and, with a big spec, offers great value too.

But although we think the GS is a fine car, buyers continue to flock to SUVs in droves, and Lexus are picking up those buyers with very good offerings like the RX, NX and the soon to arrive new Lexus UX.

Lexus do, of course, also have the IS and LS saloons to ensure buyers who don’t want a high-riding Lexus still have choice, with the GS sitting between the two. But it now looks like Lexus have dropped the GS from its Europe line-up, with Dutch site AutoRAI saying they have confirmation from Lexus that GS production will halt this month.

Despite modest sales for the GS, it’s hard to see Lexus walking away from a chunk of the market – albeit a shrinking part – so it seems likely a replacement in some guise is in the works, and that looks like it could be the new 2019 Lexus ES.

We don’t get the Lexus ES in the UK, but it’s a Lexus of a very similar size to the GS, although it’s less ‘sporty’ in design and comes with FWD. But there’s a new ES on the way later this year, and it seems likely Lexus are planning to expand the ES offering and make it able to cover the part of the market to which the GS currently appeals.

That would mean the new Lexus ES – which will be underpinned by the new Toyota TNGA Platform – extending its offering from just a front-wheel drive setup to one which includes a four-wheel drive option, probably a 4WD option using an electrified back axle rather than a mechanical 4WD system, at a price point which sits somewhere between the (cheaper) ES and the current GS.

So it looks like it’s goodbye to the Lexus GS, and hello to the 2019 Lexus ES in the UK.