Thanks. Good point, except that there's one major difference--the camo'd IS seen in SoCal was just that...roaming around, whereas the camo'd IS at Nurburgring was seen testing! If it were just an IS350, why would Lexus be still testing a production car that is going to be on sale in Japan in imminently approaching August? You test a product when it's still in the development phase. Once you release it, you move on and start getting ready for production. It just makes sense this way.

 

Sorry missed your question. So where's the proof that the photos were taken after the actual release of the new IS? Well there's no hard proof. But the fact that two completely different sets of pictures taken by two different sources (first from r56.com and second from AutoExpress) were both published after the release of the new IS means there's a very good chance that the camo'd IS were indeed tested after the release.

 

You don't get it. The ones here in SoCal that are driven around are being real world endurance tested on top of performance test. Remember, the average buyer for these cars are not going to flog it around a track on their way to work. The car is NOT in production yet. The car is going to be released in the 3rd quarter of this year. There is always going to be field testing up to the last minute whether it's camoflauged or not. It's called quality control. Ever heard of it? What makes sense to you doesn't mean it is how a manufacturer releases a vehicle for production. The test vehicles are there to sort out any last minute quirks or errors before the vehicle finally goes into full production and is put on the showroom floor of your local Lexus dealer. Simple as that.

 

There are alot of publications that will post up photos of their findings after the initial world press release of any car. Many of these "spy" media publications will not release their articles until they can support their findings with speculation and rumors. There are times when they will buy these spy photos from photographers and post it so they have a story to write. It's almost like tabloid media. It sometimes takes, days, weeks, or even years before a magazine will put a story on the spot. They'll put anything out there to garner the attention of the general public. That's what speculative media is all about. The sad thing is you have people that actually will believe their bs and call it defnitive information. They are blinded by the real facts because people want to believe the hype rather than what's credible and real.

 

Sweet, i've been waiting for toyota/lexus to make a move on something

 

Oh no... don't go any lower than the IS!?!

 

The first lexus hatchback was this....

 

If lexus does build a car below the IS, that wouldnt be so good because most likely it will be a 4 cylinder car. This would be a bad thing for lexus since some people believe that a luxury brand shouldnt have a 4 cylinder car.

 

Not necessarily. Like the 130i, it could very well be a luxury 6-cylinder hatchback that is still placed below the IS. Could prove to be a good seller in Europe and Asia where demand for compact cars is high.

 

Eh...what is this thing?

 

Lexus Landua, it has the same wheelbase of the 1st gen GS but the front and rear overhangs were chopped. It has 4WD too and debuted in 1994 as a concept. Designed by Italdesign

 

Ah...now I remember seeing it in the GS history lesson thread. Looks pretty nice for a 1994 car.

 

Magneto great post, I like the idea of Lexus expanding its line vertically but I hope it maintains a high quality product. I don't think the hatch version IS did well round here did it, and I haven't seen it lately? I liked it fwiw.