Lexus wants to make the next-generation LS sedan ‘more emotional’. The new model is due in 2016. The company’s European boss Alain Uyttenhoven denied rumours that the LS was going to adopt the liftback body style of the Porsche Panamera.
When talking to Autocar, he said: “It’s not good for the brand to have ‘Russian doll’ styling [cars with similar design but different in size]. We’re not chasing market share so we need to make cars that people notice, cars that polarise opinion so that people love them or don’t like them. We also need to trade on Japanese differentiation, design and attention to detail.”
The company plans to double its European sales by 2020. Moreover, Lexus wants to expand its performance line's image with the IS F and RC F models. They are likely to be fitted with hybrid powertrains; however, they might also use other fuel-efficient technologies, like, for instance, the Otto and Atkinson cycle engines.
Photos of the current-generation Lexus LS
