Lexus Plans For The Future With Coupes, Crossovers and a New CT Versions

William Maley

Editor/Reporter - CheersandGears.com

January 16, 2012

Lexus is hoping to rebound from a poor 2011 and reclaim its crown of being the number one luxury automaker in sales. For 2012, Lexus is planning on introducing nine new or updated models, plus three F-Sport cars. The vehicles include the recently introduced GS350 and GS450h, while later on in the year we'll see updated versions of the ES, IS, LS, and LX.

Mark Templin, Lexus' general manager says the company is forecasting a 21% increase in sales this year.

"We will grow more than any other luxury brand this year. Our base plan is 240,000. But we think we can exceed that by a pretty good margin," Templin said.

Beyond this, Lexus is looking towards expanding their lineup with new models and more versions of existing cars. First will be the CT, for which there has been rumors of a high performance model coming out.

In addition, Lexus is looking at adding a seven seat crossover as the brand looks to phase out its body-on-frame SUVs.

And finally, Lexus is looking to get back in the coupe game. Karl Schlicht, Lexus' global head of product planning and marketing said the LF-LC Concept, shown at last week's Detroit Auto Show could be made into a production model with a price tag between $100,000 and $130,000.

But that's not all. Templin said he would like to see an SC430 replacement, priced around the $70,000 mark. And rumor has it that Lexus is working on a GS coupe to compete with Mercedes-Benz E-Class coupe.

Source: Automotive News (Subscription Required)