CANBERRA: Lexus Australia has confirmed the GS F concept revealed at last month’s Detroit motor show will not only enter production – it will be on sale here by the end of this year.
“In the later part of the second half of this year we’ll launch the GS F,” revealed Lexus Australia chief executive Sean Hanley at this week’s media launch of the RC F in Bathurst.
The large GS F sports sedan will join the mid-size RC F coupe as Lexus’ second full-house F model and is expected to share its naturally-aspirated 5.0-litre V8, although exact outputs remain unknown.
The GS F Concept at Detroit was claimed to output 348kW/527Nm, which is 3kW and 3Nm less than the RC F’s 351kW/530Nm, but Lexus remains mum on the production model’s specifications. Both rear-wheel drive models will come standard with an eight-speed automatic transmission.
If RC F pricing is any guide, it will undercut its key circa-$250,000 rivals from Germany, including the BMW M5, Mercedes-Benz E 63 AMG and Audi S/RS 6.
Priced from $133,500, or $147,500 for the ‘Carbon’ version, the RC F is positioned more than $32,000 lower than the BMW M4 Coupe (from $166,430).
Like the RC F, the GS F adds a big dose of aggression to the model on which it’s based. The production GS F is expected to be almost identical to the concept, which features an aggressive front bumper, bespoke front wings with large vertical vents that integrate with chunky new side skirts, a rear diffuser with diagonally stacked quad exhaust outlets and a subtle bootlid spoiler.
As per the RC F, there are also larger alloys with Michelin Pilot Sport tyres and six-piston front Brembo brake callipers gripping oversized slotted discs, plus the usual interior F upgrades including carbon-fibre highlights, alloy pedals and an F steering wheel, sports seats and suede dash-top – all with blue stitching.
Since orders opened in mid-December, the RC F has attracted 64 confirmed buyers, and Lexus expects to sell up to 10 examples a month – about the same number as the previous-generation IS F sedan.
Including the IS F and the limited-edition LFA supercar, nine of which went to Australian customers, Lexus has sold 555 F models Down Under, where cosmetically enhanced F Sport models now account for almost 32 per cent of its range.
