Rumormill: IS-F Being Discontinued?
Ruh roh. It seems like Lexus speedy sedan has run into some trouble. According to an article from USA today, the IS-F is on it’s way out due to lackluster sales. At least, that’s what he says. There hasn’t been an official word about the end of the IS-F from Lexus yet, but honestly, the article makes makes a fair point.
From one perspective, killing the IS-F doesn’t make a lot of sense considering the direction that Lexus has been heading in regards to performance. It’s their fastest, most engaging car right now (excepting the unobtinable LFA). That said, the car has never really been a strong seller for the brand. Last year they only managed to move 486 units.
Now, the refreshed IS does have the option for F-Sport accouterments, which will probably be more popular than the IS-F model itself. Also worth considering, is that the new IS is really, really new. It could just be that they haven’t announced an IS-F model yet. Of course, it could also be that Lexus simply doesn’t plan to build another IS-F. None of the other cars in Lexus’ range feature a dedicated F-model yet (though the GS-F is rumored to arrive sometime in the near future).
What seems most likely is that Lexus will fill the performance car gap with the Coupe. After all, they’ve trademarked the RC-F name already. It could be that they’re planning on introducing the GS-F as their high performance sports sedan and making the IS Coupe their sports car.
We’ll see. There’s no real reason to believe that Lexus would just pull out of the performance arena altogether, especially considering how much they’ve hyped up their newly discovered edgyness. I’m rooting the RC-F. What about you? Let us know in the comments.
via [USAToday]
