It’s finally here! The Lexus IS has been revealed at the Geneva Motor Show today, marking its first public appearance in Europe.
The new IS marks a new chapter for Lexus, as it reflects the brand’s renewed focus on design while improving on well-established IS strong points such as refinements, luxury and comfort.
Revealing the car, Paul Van Der Burgh said; “Thanks for joining us on our brand new Lexus motor show stand. It’s an exciting time for Lexus and we are looking forward to building on the success of 2012.
“Last year was a huge year for us, in which we recorded 476,000 sales – a number 18 percent higher than the year before. As a result Lexus is now fourth largest premium brand in the world.
“Sales are up by five percent in Europe. This increase includes the sale of 26,000 hybrids, an all-time record. We expect further growth in 2013, and with one of the newest line up of cars we have ever offered, we are confident we can meet our targets.
“Last year, we launched five new models and all have proved successful. However, to complete the renewal of the line up, there is one more model we have to launch, and that’s the new IS.
“Revising this model is crucial, and we have listened to our customers very carefully. They have asked for more. More space, greater efficiency, more performance and more design.
“I am sure you will agree, it’s the boldest execution yet of our L-Finess design philosophy, while inside it’s our most spacious and advanced car yet, including our drive select system.
“The car also debuts a new Atkinson cycle 2.5-litre hybrid, with dual VVT-i. This engine will play an important role in the future, and with 223hp offers plenty of performance. installed in our IS300h, it offers 0-62mph in 8.3 seconds plus best in class CO2 emissions of 99g/km.”
In addition to the Lexus IS at the Geneva Motor Show, we’ve got a new video of the car in an as-yet-unseen Opal Blue colour – the same shade used on the LF-LC Blue concept last year – watch it at the foot of this post.
You can read more about the new Lexus IS here, read up on the car’s pricing and specification here, or take a sneak peek at our Lexus IS photography project here.
Here’s our video of the new Lexus IS 300h in Opal Blue.
[youvid embded=’t’ vid=’rKZACfrPIuM’]
*Final UK production specification and equipment may vary from these images
Just want to especially record here my thanks and gratitude to Amy Coulthard who resourcefully obtained pictures of an IS300h in Sonic Titanium from Geneva. I have been trying for weeks without success to get an indication of this new colour as it was the only thing stopping me placing my order. The pictures Amy obtained will now enable me to place an order, as without this key information I could not have risked ordering in case it turned out to be a bad choice. The colour is brilliant and so is Amy. Sorry if that’s a bit OTT 🙂
Thank you, Rob
Thank you for your kind comments, Rob.
We’re so pleased these pictures have been able to help you make this final decision. Now we hope you can enjoy the countdown to receiving your new IS!
If there’s anything further we can help you with, please let us know.
Have a lovely week.
The accompanying report suggests that the user interface has improved between smartphones and the multimedia display.
Does this mean that sat-nav apps will be able to be used, with the information appearing on the display, even with the LDA system?
Hi Bob,
Thank you for your question.
We are currently looking into this for you and will get back to you shortly.
Kind regards.
Hi Bob,
With selected smartphones, the new IS with Lexus Display Audio has a ‘mirror link’ function. This projects the smartphone display onto the LDA display. Map apps could also be projected onto the LDA screen. We are awaiting a list of compatible smartphones to be sent to us from Lexus Head Office in Japan. Please note that ‘mirror link’ is not available on vehicles with the factory fitted navigation system.
Do hope this helps and we hope to have more information shortly.
Oliwer,
Many thanks.
My family all have iPhones – these generally do not allow MirrorLink, I think.
But I (and am sure others) would be grateful for any further information.
Regards,
Bob
Y I P P E E
Done it at 1.30pm today. Ordered my new car.
A New Lexus IS300H Premier, in Celestial Black with Ivory Leather and a Sunroof.
Can’t wait till July for delivery.
Many thanks to Martin at Lexus Birmingham who sorted it all out for me this afternoon.
What wonderful news, many thanks for letting us know!
The Celestial Black colour is stunning, especially with the integrated LED Daytime Running Lights. It looks very special indeed.
We’ve lots going on with New IS throughout our social media channels to do keep checking back for the very latest.
Let us know if we can help with anything in the future.
Our very best.
Hi Oliwer, have you got any pics of the IS300H Premier in Celestial Black ??
If so could you either post them on here or send them to me?
P.S. I am not, and never will be, on Twitter or Facebook
Hello,
Currently you can see this colour on the Lexus website in the section ‘Build Your RX’. Here’s the link: http://ow.ly/iw958 – simply click on the link and then select ‘Celestial Black’ from the colour options. The ‘configure’ section of the site for the IS will be available next month, where you’ll be able to see your chosen colour on your car. Apologies this isn’t currently available.
Rest assured, the blog is the prime spot for the very latest Lexus news, so you’re in the right place!
Many thanks and kind regards.
The Geneva IS press release has confused me by saying on page 17 that Adaptive suspension is an OPTION on F Sport and achieved by Sport S+ setting. Does this mean it comes inclusive with the F Sport hybrid or is it a cost option?
Dealers are telling me it’s inclusive because there is no option for this on the on-line ordering system. I would like a definitive answer because I would like to have it but don’t want to find out later it’s going to cost another say £2000.
I would appreciate an answer asap as Amy has answered my question on colour. Once I know this I can confidently place an order.
Hi Bob,
Adaptive suspension isn’t available on UK spec models. F Sport models will be equipped with sports suspension with lateral dampers, as standard. This doesn’t have any affect on the price of the model in terms of options as it’s a standard feature.
We do hope this helps.
Many thanks.
Good morning Lexus.
I have a question about the UK release date for the new IS
Various websites are stating the following:-
Date car introduced to UK market 15/06/2013
And your information states:-
Customer deliveries from the 12th July 2013
So, who is correct? what is the difference between the two dates? Why can’t I have delivery on the 15th June?
I have ordered my IS300h, so when will I get it? as I need to know asap as I have to sell my existing car.
Good morning,
Thank you for raising this with us and we’re pleased to hear of your new IS order.
Centre demonstrator vehicles of the new IS will be delivered from the 12th July. Customer deliveries are also scheduled to start from this time, however this will depend on multiple factors including specification, accessories and colour chosen. Your local Centre will be able to provide you with your specific delivery information nearer to this time. You can find their details on our website: lexus.co.uk and by selecting ‘Find a Centre’.
We are unaware of the 15th June date that you have seen communicated, so we are sorry we cannot help more here.
Kind regards.