The Lexus GS medium sedan is low key but will be missed.

DETERMINATION by Lexus to axe the GS sedan is bittersweet for the brand’s top man here.

Neeraj Lala has no trouble understanding the logic behind the move – the national SUV obsessions has rendered luxury sedans of all sizes increasingly irrelevant.

Here Toyota’s premier marque has primarily become a sports utility operation, with the extra spin of a brand-unique hybrid push with its controversial ‘self-charging’ tag line.

Even though the sales progress of the four-strong GS line is modest in New Zealand, it has a fanbase.

Lala’s in that support group. He reckons his own drive car, the range-topping F-designated V8 that, at $169,900 costs $60k more than the entry variant, that sees far more red than Green, won’t be easy to relinquish. Mind you, he has the best sub-variant, the limited-count F10 anniversary model.

“It’s a great car, hands down the best one I’ve had as a work car,” says the Toyota and Lexus New Zealand chief operating officer.

“I’m really enjoying having it. They did a great job with it.

“It’s a real shame to see ‘fun’ sedans like this being under threat. But demand for those cars unfortunately doesn’t allow them to continue on.”

The decision to axe GS was expected. “Switching it off has been on our plan for at least two years, it’s not a surprise.

“It is fairly well documented that the demand for those sedans is no longer there. SUVs and crossovers now deliver the same handling levels but also offer greater practicality and flexibility.

“It is a car we would love to keep but the brand is moving on. We have some exciting Lexus models coming next year and, honestly, I just see customers gravitating more toward those models that offer more flexible, dynamic solutions than a traditional rear-drive car.”

GS production for NZ ends in August. The LS flagship and smaller ES sedan will remain in the family, the latter now including an F-Sport

For New Zealand, the ‘F’ will be the final blast of a model line that has been part of Lexus for 27 years and spans four generations.

An announced special edition of a current shape that came out in 2012 will not come to New Zealand, Lala says.

He believes the swansong ‘Eternal Touring’ special edition that will be last out of the factory will likely only avail in Japan and the United States.

The Eternal Touring adds a number of sporty design touches including the F Sport spindle grille, a rear spoiler, orange brake callipers, red-and-black leather interior trim, F Sport seats and carbon trim on the passenger-side dash.

With the removal of the GS F, Lexus NZ is left with only two models sporting the ferocious 351kW 5.0-litre aspirated V8 – the RC F and LC500 coupes.

However, more performance models seem set to be on the way. In February, the brand released a statement about its racing ambitions in Europe, and included in the news was the announcement it will be testing a new twin-turbo V8 that will be implemented in a production model.

No word has been given on what models are set to receive the new force-fed bent eight, however the most likely candidate is the LC coupe, which is being used as the test car for Lexus’ racing programme.

No current F grade exists for the flagship coupe, however a more potent version of the V8 could see it become a reality.

Given the current V8 outputs 351kW/540Nm in the LC500, the twin-turbo mill would likely have to push in excess of 400kW to earn the F badge, overseas’ media have conjected.

The first generation of GS went on sale globally in 1993, with the second-gen version following in 1997.

In 2005 the Toyota Crown-based third generation arrived, replaced by the current model in 2012.