(taken from Mark Templins speech at the NY Auto Show)

In fact, more than 40 percent of all GS 300s we sell will be equipped with full-time all-wheel drive. That's more than 11,000 units or more than one-third of the total GS sales per year.

With the all-new GS we will change the perception of what a performance sedan is all about - in how it looks, how it feels and how it works.

The change has already begun. During its first month of limited availability GS has already increased its market share from three percent a year ago to eight percent today.

Traditionally, Mercedes and BMW have been the class leaders in sales, consistently maintaining an 18-percent-or-better share of market. Our goal, with the GS is to join the leaders near the front of the pack with an annual share-of-segment of more than 14 percent, while achieving an annual sales rate of about 33,000 units.

That's a bold statement and a bold move from our 2004 sales rate of 8,200 units and five-percent share of segment. But as consumers are quickly discovering, the GS is quite a package.

And if that isn't enough, at about this time next year we plan to make it even harder for our competitors to keep pace.

 

Let's hope that the New GS can maintain that significant sales improvement!

I have already seen 3 around my neighborhood...it's one HOT car!

 

33k is nice round number, I doubt they will have problems making it... The way Lexus works, they wont make mistake of over-supplying the market which usually brings huge incentives to the game...

 

personally i am very much interested in seeing the sales of the 3gs this yr

and even more importantly, i want to see the sales of the 2is next yr

 

Me too. I think the new GS will have a good sales year, but I think the new IS will be the real story in sales. I'm thinking it will out sell the ES. I know I never was interested in the IS before until now. Now, even my wife likes it and I'm definately looking to buy one some day. I have to see it in person first though.