The American consumers’ march toward light trucks is claiming another victim in car showrooms — this one a luxury nameplate.
Lexus, citing declining sales, is dropping the midsize GS sport sedan after four generations and three years shy of the car’s 30th anniversary.
“We are constantly evaluating model mixes throughout our lineup,” a Lexus spokeswoman said. “In the declining sedan segment, the GS family has represented a small amount of sales in the last few years.”
Lexus will mark the end by producing 200 limited-edition Black Line GS 350 F Sports models, available in rwd and awd, for 2020.
The GS, introduced in 1993 to compete with rear-wheel-drive models such as the BMW 5 Series and Audi A6, was the fourth car to be added to the Lexus lineup after the LS full-size sedan, ES midsize sedan and SC coupes.
The front-wheel-drive ES is the brand’s top-selling car, with U.S. deliveries of 51,336 last year.
The GS, built in Japan, was last redesigned in 2012, becoming the first Lexus to introduce the brand’s signature spindle grille. A high-performance F variant was added in 2015.
U.S. sales of the GS peaked at 33,457 in 2005, according to Lexus data. Deliveries fell 49 percent to 3,378 in 2019, making it among the brand’s lowest sellers.
Overall, U.S. sales of luxury midsize cars fell 9 percent in 2019 to 225,808.