The Lexus IS has evolved - but it's still trying to find an identity
Bryan Logan/Business Insider
The first generation of this entry level luxury sedan was an important step forward for Lexus.
Toyota's luxury division finally had something sporty to offer buyers who tend to shop for the Mercedes C-Class, Audi A4, and BMW 3-series.
The Bavarian Big Three have held a tight grip on the segment for the better part of two decades.
The proof is on the scoreboard. BMW sold nearly 95,000 new 3 Series cars in 2015 and Mercedes tallied more than 86,000 C-Class models. American challenger, Cadillac punched in at over 63,000 of its ATS sports sedeans sold.
Lexus booked about 46,300 of the Lexus IS. Only Audi did worse with just 29,013 A4s sold in 2015 - mostly because the newly redesigned 2017 model was about to land stateside.
With the 2016 Lexus IS, the company gives us a smartly engineered sport sedan with updated drivetrain options that make it a more serious competitor among its rivals, but the IS hasn't quite found its own identity yet.
Lexus is expected to debut a refreshed IS at the Beijing Auto Show later this month, but we took the current 2016 model for a spin to see how it measures up.
- US buys 81 Soviet-era combat aircraft from Russia's ally costing on average less than $20,000 each, report says
- 2 states where home prices are falling because there are too many houses and not enough buyers
- A couple accidentally shipped their cat in an Amazon return package. It arrived safely 6 days later, hundreds of miles away.
- India Inc marks slowest quarterly revenue growth in January-March 2024: Crisil
- Nothing Phone (2a) India-exclusive Blue Edition launched starting at ₹19,999
- SC refuses to plea seeking postponement of CA exams scheduled in May
- 10 exciting weekend getaways from Delhi within 300 km in 2024
- Foreign tourist arrivals in India will cross pre-pandemic level in 2024
- JNK India IPO allotment date
- JioCinema New Plans
- Realme Narzo 70 Launched
- Apple Let Loose event
- Elon Musk Apology
- RIL cash flows
- Charlie Munger
- Feedbank IPO allotment
- Tata IPO allotment
- Most generous retirement plans
- Broadcom lays off
- Cibil Score vs Cibil Report
- Birla and Bajaj in top Richest
- Nestle Sept 2023 report
- India Equity Market