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Today I took a gander at pricing some of the specs that I'm looking for. And let me tell you most people on club Lexus may not like the ES, but they sure are flying like hot cakes and there are waitlist already. I had a dealer send me some incoming ES trims for the hybrid last week Friday. Of the five she sent ,three are gone. And of the 200 mile radius that I searched there were only two premium plus trims and those are also spoken for. For me it truly changes my timeline seeing how fast it's going already and they haven't even dropped yet.
Looks like at least in the beginning I will not even be able to test drive a hybrid to see if like and dealer at this point does not know when one could be available to test drive. The EV was a different story as I drove other day. Dealer also could only guess when the 2027 would come out.
I don't think sales of such a small quantity of 8ESs is an indication of anything. There are always some people who want something new and novel and will grab it as a trophy.
That said, I was reading an interesting article the other day about cars sales in total being down significantly in the last few months, particularly EVs. In contrast, hybrid sales are up significantly.
I don't think sales of such a small quantity of 8ESs is an indication of anything. There are always some people who want something new and novel and will grab it as a trophy.
That said, I was reading an interesting article the other day about cars sales in total being down significantly in the last few months, particularly EVs. In contrast, hybrid sales are up significantly.
I'm posting this largely to refute the idea that EV sales are down significantly, including vs. hybrid. In fact, it looks like the opposite is happening.
I think its possible some of you live in certain rural areas where you might not see EVs a whole lot (regardless of brand) and your perception is that sales are flat, because you personally don't see any. I try to look at the data instead. Not knocking this or that car/engine choice. just saying there's data on this.
The American auto market just posted its eighth consecutive monthly decline, and the numbers are starting to look less like a slowdown and more like an industry-wide warning sign. April 2026 new vehicle sales fell 7.1 percent year over year to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 15.9 million units as buyers continued pulling back under pressure from high interest rates, rising fuel costs, and ongoing tariff-related price increases. At the same time, electric vehicle sales collapsed 35.5 percent year to date, dragging EV market share down to just 5.1 percent.
Meanwhile, hybrids are quietly becoming one of the few bright spots in the market. Hybrid sales climbed 9.2 percent and now account for 14.5 percent of all new vehicle sales. That shift says a lot about what buyers actually want right now, especially when monthly payments, charging concerns, and fuel prices are all hitting at once.
Manufacturers and dealers have always been deceptive and hide numbers of unsold cars from the public.
I would wait towards the end of the year during the December to Remember Lexus sales event.
If you see the ES going for $399 a month lease with zero down, you know it's an absolute flop.
A few years ago I remember the RZ going for $400 a month lease with zero down or 0% apr for 72 months plus $5,000 rebate.
My bet will be the new ES is going to be flop. There is no reason to buy it. Those who want a luxurious sedan with a ton of money will go German. The ones who want a hybrid sedan will go with a Camry.
Congratulations Toyota on wrecking the Lexus brand.
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