Ok, I remember rumors of this a while ago.

can anyone confirm if the LS350 is actually in production?

 

why would they put a v6 in the flagship model?

C'MON SON

 

no it is not in production (yet), nor is it even confirmed that it will be

 

I heard the rumor too, something a few months ago about a V6 being the base model in the Euro LS. Of course this is all hearsay. The MBZ S400 hybrid is a V6 and is the cheapest in the S-Class line-up.

 

there is no word on that at all so far

 

An LS350 would suck. It would take the LS brand down-market which is not what they're after anyway. Why cheapen a flagship?

 

well, the Sclass has a V6 back in the middle-east and i bet other places too.. so it might be good competition back there

 

Last December, when I was at the Lexus dealership located across from Arc D'Triomphe, the sales person mentioned that he was hearing that LS350 might be coming to Europe because of high VAT based on the engine cc. This might be a good move to increase the regional premium maket share.

 

I heard the same rumors about the LS350 but never from credible sources.

Might be off topic a little, but I occasionally see MB S280 driving around here in Saudi Arabia. It's noticeably smaller than the other S sizes (S350, S500, S600).

Personally, I would go with a S350/S500 or will go for another brand. The S280 just doesn't fit within the S class. That applies to the Lexus LS as well.

 

I am OK with a LS350 for Europe and Asia, etc., where they sell tons of 6-cylinder S-class, 7-series & A8 too, but I hope not for N.America please ...

 

Probably SWB only ??

 

California pretty well dictates what Lexus offers in North America, with a few minor exceptions for the Canadian market, so what happens in the rest of the World is moot for us, as ridiculously high base prices plus exorbitant import duties greatly influence their sales methodologies. Some creative dealerships on the West Coast have even found a lucrative market for warranty activated, zero km/mi demos that are put in containers and shipped right back to Asia to circumvent the frequently horrendous prices there.

So I suspect the only way we "might" even spy an LS350 in North America would be through importation or engine transplant . It would be a long time coming though...

 

LS350 SWB-only would sell very well in Europe and Asia. It would sell poorly in NA. They would need to have a hybrid LS350 to bump up the HP for any sales success in NA.

 

and that would be ls450h or something like that. just look at how the other hybrids got their badge in the lexus lineup. i guess to me a ls with v6 type of power would be a bad decision in NA

 

What would be the point?

The LS460 already pulls 30 mpg on the highway with ease, and I get 18 or more in purely suburban driving. And a smaller engine in this heavy a car would probably just get worse mileage.

So it's not a mileage thing. I'd guess they'd probably sell about two of them in N. America.

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