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Lexus Teases Superbowl Commercial, Nine New Models Planned

Lexus has released a brief glimpse of its first-ever NFL Superbowl television commercial, accompanied by the slogan “the next generation of Lexus cannot be contained”. 

The video will star the all-new GS sedan, and while there's


Lexus has released a brief glimpse of its first-ever NFL Superbowl television commercial, accompanied by the slogan "the next generation of Lexus cannot be contained". 

The video will star the all-new GS sedan, and while there's nothing new to be seen there, Lexus says the drive behind its Superbowl campaign is to drum up anticipation for its expanded international line-up.

The push to increase the brand's production and sales comes directly from Toyota boss Akio Toyoda, as the company rebounds from natural disasters and the resultant limited supply that saw Lexus lose the top US luxury sales spot to Mercedes-Benz.

The new GS sedan, along with the CT 200h small hybrid, form part of a new approach for Lexus, focused on growing the brand's emotional appeal through sharper styling and an enthusiast-targeted driving experience.

A lightly refreshed version of the big LandCruiser-based LX has also been revealed this year, adding the latest evolution of the marque's "Spindle" grille design and a number of new driver-aid, safety and trim tweaks.

Later this year, Lexus will unveil facelifts for the IS midsizer and LS limousine, along with the US-market ES, with all expected to gain restyled headlights and the same new grille design.

In all, Lexus says it will reveal nine new or updated models in 2012, and while five have already been confirmed, it remains to be seen what the remaining four will be - assuming the number does not include variants within a model range.

If it does, expect the nine to be made up of the GS 250, 350 and 450h, the IS 250 and 350, the, LS 460 and 600h, the ES 350 and the LX 570h.

Recent months have also seen growing speculation for a high-performance version of the CT hatch, with Lexus known to have trademarked the CT 300h.

Speaking with industry paper Automotive News, Lexus product planning boss Karl Schlicht reportedly confirmed that more variants will be added to the CT, and that a new coupe - inspired by the LF-LC concept - could also join the range as a new sports flagship.

Schlicht said that any new coupe would likely be a high-end model, priced at between US$100,000 and US$130,000 - a significant step up from the now-retired SC 430, which sold in North America for around US$70,000.

Lexus General Manager Mark Templin told the paper that a more affordable coupe could also return to the range however, taking on obvious rivals in the Infiniti G37 and BMW's 3 Series Coupe.

The next-generation LX is also expected to move away from the LandCruiser platform, adopting a car-like unibody (much like Nissan's new Pathfinder). 

Don't expect Lexus to reveal a sub-CT city car either, with parent Toyota offering enough ultra-efficient and tiny models to satisfy Europe and North America's fleet emissions requirements.

As for Australia, the next new Lexus to hit our roads will be the new GS range, followed by the updated LX 570 in the second quarter.

 

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