What does ES LS IS GS etc. stand for? Just wondering, any ideas?

Tim

 

CT = Compact Touring
HS = Hybrid (Harmonious) Sport
IS = Intelligent Sport
ES = Executive Sedan
GS = Grand Sport/Sedan
LS = Luxury Sport

SC = Sport Coupe/Convertible

RX = Rally SUV
GX = Grand SUV
LX = Luxury SUV

L = Long
h = hybrid
LF = Lexus Future (LF-C, LF-S, etc.) -- with the exception of LF-A which means Lexus F-Sport Apex
F = Fuji (IIRC)

 

Thanks, I have a 04 ES and love the car. Had some people ask what the es, gs, etc was for. Now I know. Thanks and have a great day/ night.

Tim

 

Hey buddy thanks for breaking that down. I wasn't aware of the SUV lettering

 

HS could also be "Harmonious Sedan," no?

 

I think HS should stand for hybrid sedan and absolutely not hybrid sport. I dont see anything sporty about the HS ( and really any Lexus other than than the IS line up and the LFA). I will admit I have not driven the HS yet so I cant speak about the handling first hand.......but come on.......its a Lexus hybrid. There is nothing sport about either of those words generally speaking

 

ES: Egg-Shaped
SC: Spicy Chicken

 

I think the IS....intelligent sport sounds a bit weird. It is what it is.

 

In Japan, that's what the Lexus marketing states, although some have surmised that was necessary to avoid redundancy given that HS 250h has 'hybrid' implicit at the end. I've long thought ES stood for Executive Sedan, like LS stood for Luxury Sedan; we also discussed on here RX being Recreational SUV etc; however recently from Asia I found ES for Elegant Sedan and RX for Radiant Crossover.

In a similar vein as the HS, the IS being Intelligent Sport and not Sedan allows the IS C to be named with consistent meaning.

 

HS could also be "Hello Someday" like the commercial advertisements.

 

Added CT in the mix above...

 

The HS is relatively sporty, considering that it's based on a Toyota Avensis chassis. A lot more sporty than the ES, but not as good as the IS (nor the upcoming CT).

It can be compared to a Ford Mondeo or an Acura TSX. It shouldn't be compared to a C-Class or 3-Series.

 

So most of the Lexus cars are sporty? lol

 

nice to know what each model means.

 

So make up a new one then. These are not official names