In 2020, Lexus dropped the IS from its European lineup., his medium saloon. Victim of the abrupt drop in sales experienced by sedans in the old continent, this model was indirectly replaced by the ES, which despite being larger (it militates between segments D and E, therefore it also replaces the missing GS). , it is front-wheel drive instead of rear-wheel drive.
Regardless, Lexus is preparing the rebirth of the IS. Its current generation, sold in markets such as the United States, is actually a profound restyling of the previous model. This is because the Japanese firm he is concentrating all his resources on his heirwhich will become a 100% electric model.
With this move, Lexus will kill two birds with one stone. On the one hand, he will have an electric saloon of contained dimensions to compete against the Polestar 2 and Tesla Model 3; on the other, it will continue to have a hybrid proposal thanks to the ES, which will coexist with its zero-emission brother for at least one more generation.
The electric IS will be based on the prototype Lexus Electrified Sedanpresented at the end of 2021. Everything indicates that the design of the concept car It will hardly change in the final model, since the recent leak of a series of patents shows us that, beyond small alterations such as larger mirrors, its main lines will remain unchanged.
The electric Lexus IS will have a wide range of bodies
According to the Japanese media, his debut is scheduled for the year 2025; therefore, it will coincide in time with the Audi A4 e-tron (2026), bmw i3 (2026) and Mercedes-Benz CLA (2024). For the first time in its history, the IS will have a wide range of bodies: saloon, shooting brake, crossover and convertible.
Unlike its predecessors, the standard IS will not be a four-door sedan, but a five-door saloon. In the filtered images it can be seen that it will be a very aerodynamic car; not in vain, the inclination of the rear window and the extension of the trunk lid remind us to a certain extent of the new Hyundai IONIQ 6.
By 2030, Lexus will be 100% electric in its main markets (China, Europe, North America), while from 2035 it will stop selling internal combustion engine vehicles (including hybrids) worldwide. The hydrogen fuel cell will only be a minority part of your business.
Source | CarSpies
