Facelift Lexus IS unveiling halted

Lexus has abruptly cancelled the planned 9 June online unveiling of the facelift IS reportedly due to the “recent global situation”.

Although it didn’t reveal exact details for the reason, a post on its Facebook page over the weekend has suggested that the civil unrests and protests in the United States following the much publicised death of Minneapolis resident George Floyd at the hands of a white policeman, an occurrence which has since sparked global outcry, had played in a part in the decision.

As is already known, the facelift is set to be the last upgrade for the seven year old third generation IS, which will be replaced by an all-new model in 2026 using the new rear-wheel-drive platform co-developed with Mazda.

While motivation will continue to come from either a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine or a normally aspirated 3.5-litre V6, the V8-powered IS F will be replaced by the IS 500 whose twin-turbocharged V6, the same 3.5-litre badged 3.4-litre unit used in the LS 500, could potentially output the same 310kW/600Nm.

At present, no new launch date has been announced.

For more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.