Plans to drop the Lexus LFA's 552-horsepower, 4.8-liter V-10 into the engine bay of the new Lexus GS-F are off, though the F variant is not. The LFA's engine, we hear, would have cost "far more than half the price" of the GS-F, which we expect to launch about a year after the '12 GS line's late 2011 introduction. The most likely scenario is that the GS-F will get the IS-F's thoroughly competent 416-horsepower, 5.0-liter V-8, instead, and provide an extra slab of meat to Lexus' F performance lineup, which now consists only of the IS-F.
Like BMW with its 3, 5 and 7 Series, the GS is on a longer version of a rear-drive platform that's shared with the IS.



Lexus chose not to preview the '12 GS with a performance version, but with the hybrid LF-Gh concept, unveiled at the New York show, instead. While the LF-Gh is laden with concept-car nonsense, the basic look, including the Bangle-esque flame surfacing, is not. It portends more stylish future Lexi, as the brand tries to shed its bland, Japanese design image. Cues like the flame surfacing and the nose have already appeared on the production Lexus CT hybrid. The concept's nose reflects Lexus' move away from traditional grilles in favor of graphic design.


Look for Lexus to continue to offer V-6 and V-8 power in non-F GS models, and to expand all-wheel drive as an option throughout the model's lineup.