I guess you missed the point of my post. What i'm trying to say is that Lexus has all but given up trying to compete with the Germans (and Genesis). Their bread and butter are the RX and ES, both great vehicles, but both FWD based platforms. They left all their RWD platforms hanging out to die a slow and painful death while introducing more crossovers that are FWD based platforms. with the way lexus has been trending i really think their next IS sized vehicle will be based off the TNGA (corolla/camry) platform w/ AWD thrown in to cut costs on developing a RWD platform. that would obviously compete with the ILX / Buick regal (which is now dead) and the merc CLA... Toyota seems to just want to phone it in at this point and stockpile cash for electrification and CUV's anymore.

I'm very down and cynical on Lexus at this point because they did nothing with the IS, killed off the GS, did nothing with their engines across their entire brand. im more excited about the tlx type s than this heavy refresh joke. now if they tease an is500 that would be a different story

How's anyone supposed to NOT miss your point if you didn't even remotely say any of that to begin with? Many here would love to go German but due to maintenance, reliability, cost of ownership, IQ, and IMO the smart choice, we go with Lexus, and the most affordable models with satisfactory power, styling, handling, recently have been GS & IS. Lexus is well aware of this which is why a lot of effort was put into the 3rd Gen IS debut in 2013/2014, and IMO they're not just gonna abandon this cultivated, hardcore, enthusiast base.

Didn't know that we're talkin bout Soccer Moms.

The RWD production lines are all intact, side by side AWD (which btw is always more expensive brand new) for northern states and Canada, so what "RWD platform development costs" are you referring to? They're not dead nor "hanging out to die". Lexus has them ready to go at the drop of a button with possibly some modified re-engineering - think RC, GSF, ISF, etc, and hell even flagship models are RWD. There's no hints on completely abandoning IS, we don't know what the replacement for GS might be - quite sure Lexus is workin on it coz the new IS looks a bit GSish as well as also dimension-wise, there's already strong hints & perception of an IS500, and again as per above Lexus is not just gonna abandon RWD fans who would rather buy German if there's not much Japanese (Acura, Infiniti) or Asian (Genesis) alternatives.

I mean.... they arent signallying anything different when they killed the GS, and put out this pathetic 2nd MMC w/ the IS with no new engines.

How old are these platforms? ISF is long dead, and GSF is going to get the axe any day now. The RC is a frankenstein platform. Will Lexus get serious with building a dedicated one for a coupe? How do you know they are ready to o at the drop of a button? They have been getting crushed the last 5 years with nothin to show besides a new grill refresh.

My post clearly states "with possibly some modified re-engineering". Add to that refinement & tuning. When models are sunset they don't just throw designs in the trash never to be found again. Everyone knows this so not exactly sure why I'm even typing this. They borrow, share, & interchange platforms all the time, instead of developing new platforms from scratch, and also in between Lexus & Toyota, as well as other manufacturer partnerships. I bet the new Supra (BMW) will later be customized and branded for Lexus. Forget the exact name of the 2-door coupe coz it was a long time ago, but Nissan did the same with Infiniti, and the cars were almost identical.

What exactly is your bottom line? If you don't like Lexus extremely reliable cars where the combination of all components working together in conjunction is the key, and workhorse engines that last forever, then why not get an Audi, or BMW, or Benz?

Evident - I hear what you are saying about the IS, and I agree that many have been disappointed with the 2021 release...but keep in my mind that they have just trademarked an IS500 so not all hope is lost. Furthermore, it is have been frequently discussed that Lexus is partnering with Mazda to develop a new RWD plateform that that will also underpin the Mazda 6, and new engines will be developed from this partnership. These thing can take some time and at least Lexus did a significant refresh to the sheet metal for the 2021 model and will possibly bring a more potent engine while still keeping the reliable workhorses for those who don't want a series of turbo engines. Look at what Volvo is doing with their line up, 4 banger only with a bunch or turbo/supercharger/electric motors. At least for those who love a naturally aspirated engine, we still can

Hot Damn... THANKS for the reminder - sounds even better than BMW for Supra. This Topic deserves its own thread...