Photo: Lexus
Lexus, also known as the luxury brand from Toyota, has very different standings on various markets. In some places, it is a negligible quantity and is thoroughly ignored by its competitors; in others, it's doing OK.
In theory, its main competitors are Germany's premium trinity of Audi, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz, but also its domestic rival, Infiniti. However, based on volumes sold globally, it's only the latter that has relatively similar figures, with the rest waving from a distance.
But while some might give this discrepancy a negative spin, Lexus has used it in its favor marketing its cars as different and special, the right choice for the discerning customer that looks to break away from the flock. And given the new styling introduced a while ago, these words have never rung truer.
The company's reluctance to diesel engines - and even turbocharged gasoline ones, for a while - meant breaking into the European market was never going to happen. With a strong foothold in North America, though, that wasn't such a big deal, so the Japanese are happy to carry on in the same vein.
Now, pretty much out of the blue, Lexus dropped a teaser for the 2021 IS model together with an official release date: June 9. The picture itself doesn't show much apart from the new taillight design - or rather its most important feature, the full-width light bar. Even giving the image the usual light-enhancing treatment doesn't reveal anything, showing carmakers have learned their lesson and put a lot more care in what they release on the Internet.
We do get to see the vehicle's shape, yet it's just the rear air diffuser that warrants any real attention, showing some sporty-looking fins to get everyone's hopes up high. Since this little trinket is the only piece of official information on the new model, it's hard to tell what exactly we should expect in terms of powertrains. Rumors say the IS 500 could still get a V8 engine to make the absence of the F performance version more tolerable, but it's not clear if it'll come in the naturally-aspirated or turbocharged flavor.
For all this lack of information, there is still a silver lining to the situation: we only have eight more days to wait until the full reveal and, given how time's been passing by these past two months, they should be over quicker than ever. Besides, this extra time means we might see more teasers from Lexus over the course of this week. Fingers crossed.
But while some might give this discrepancy a negative spin, Lexus has used it in its favor marketing its cars as different and special, the right choice for the discerning customer that looks to break away from the flock. And given the new styling introduced a while ago, these words have never rung truer.
The company's reluctance to diesel engines - and even turbocharged gasoline ones, for a while - meant breaking into the European market was never going to happen. With a strong foothold in North America, though, that wasn't such a big deal, so the Japanese are happy to carry on in the same vein.
Now, pretty much out of the blue, Lexus dropped a teaser for the 2021 IS model together with an official release date: June 9. The picture itself doesn't show much apart from the new taillight design - or rather its most important feature, the full-width light bar. Even giving the image the usual light-enhancing treatment doesn't reveal anything, showing carmakers have learned their lesson and put a lot more care in what they release on the Internet.
We do get to see the vehicle's shape, yet it's just the rear air diffuser that warrants any real attention, showing some sporty-looking fins to get everyone's hopes up high. Since this little trinket is the only piece of official information on the new model, it's hard to tell what exactly we should expect in terms of powertrains. Rumors say the IS 500 could still get a V8 engine to make the absence of the F performance version more tolerable, but it's not clear if it'll come in the naturally-aspirated or turbocharged flavor.
For all this lack of information, there is still a silver lining to the situation: we only have eight more days to wait until the full reveal and, given how time's been passing by these past two months, they should be over quicker than ever. Besides, this extra time means we might see more teasers from Lexus over the course of this week. Fingers crossed.
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