GS is shape of things to come at Lexus; V-8 dropped 2013

   MONTEREY, Calif. -- Lexus today unveiled its next-generation GS 350 sport sedan, revealing the sheet-metal and interior design cues that will carry across the brand for the next several years.

The 2013 GS, which goes on sale in early 2012, will have only a V-6 or V-6 hybrid powertrain. There will not be a V-8 version available.

Lexus has offered a V-8 version on the previous two generations of the GS, but it only represented about 10 percent of all model sales.

The GS sedan has been seen as bland and bloated next to the BMW 5 series, Mercedes E class and Audi A6.

U.S. sales of the current generation model peaked at 27,390 units in 2006, and tapered off to 7,059 last year.

Lexus is counting on the new GS to help make up ground lost this year to Mercedes-Benz and BMW in the U.S. market.

Lexus, the top-selling luxury brand in the United States for 11 straight years, is expected to lose the crown to one of the two German rivals in 2011.

Inventory shortages resulting from the March earthquake in Japan have hurt Lexus' U.S. sales, which have dropped 19 percent to 102,549 this year through July.

The strength of the Japanese yen has made it even more difficult for Lexus to competitively price models built in Japan and exported.

New platform, wider track

In unveiling the new GS, Toyota Motor CEO Akio Toyoda described the car as "amazing to drive."

"Sometimes I drive the engineers crazy, but it's all worth it," Toyoda said in prepared remarks.

The 2013 GS 350 uses an all-new platform, with a two-inch wider track. Its wheelbase remains the same, but the car is longer, wider and taller than the old model.

Using a carryover 3.5-liter V-6 and six-speed sequential-shift transmission, the GS 350 accelerates from zero-to-60 mph in 5.7 seconds, the same as the current model. The GS still will be offered in rear- and all-wheel-drive versions.

Four driving modes offer a choice of throttle mapping, transmission shift and traction control settings. Lexus said fuel economy is dramatically improved, without giving details.

The GS' front suspension is mostly unchanged, but uses larger bushings. The rear subframe has been redesigned, with new geometry for its multilink suspension. The platform also benefits from an increase in spot and laser welds to increase rigidity.

Unlike the concept shown at the New York auto show in April, the GS' front fascia does not use a grille that extends uninterrupted from the hoodline to the chin spoiler. Instead, the trapezoidal "spindle" grille is interrupted by a horizontal strip that carries through from the bumper.

As for its overall appearance, the GS looks more like a big brother to the sporty IS sedan.

Inside, the instrument binnacle remains similar in appearance, but the center console's display screen, audio, climate and telematics layouts have been thinned to become more rectangular in appearance.

Hybrid will debut in Frankfurt

A thick-limbed, analog ingot clock divides the two center air vents. A mouselike remote next to the gearshift guides the driver through the on-screen telematics system.

Safety features include 10 airbags, with optional pre-collision system, dynamic radar cruise control, night vision assist, head-up display and lane departure warning.

The hybrid version will be unveiled at the Frankfurt auto show next month.

An F-Sport model, which is equipped with a suspension and body package, and the possibility of a supercharger, will be seen at the Specialty Equipment Market Association show this fall in Las Vegas.