No plans for new Lexus IS F

It comes as no surprise that the rumbling naturally-aspirated 5.0-litre V8 that was the calling card of the Lexus IS F is on life support.

Emissions regulations are slowly killing big V8s and it now seems even a turbocharged six-cylinder Lexus IS F halo car may be shelved as well.

So, has the Lexus IS F been scratched?

"How do I answer that question?" said Scott Thompson, Lexus Australia's chief executive.

"It's one of my favourite cars that we've ever produced, [but] there's no plans at the moment [to release another one]," said Thompson.

Lexus previously said it would consider slotting its 310kW/600Nm twin-turbo 3.5-litre V6 from the flagship LS 500 limousine into the next-generation Lexus IS F.

While that model was predicted to lob around 2022 at the earliest, this latest news casts a pall over whether a new IS F will happen at all, be it six- or eight-cylinder.

Lexus has not launched an IS F sports sedan for an entire generation, instead focusing on the RC F coupe models.

The current Lexus IS series was introduced in 2014 and is expected to be replaced by an all-new model post-2020, based on a rear-drive version of Toyota’s lighter, more advanced TNGA platform architecture.

High-performance mid-size luxury cars are big business, with the likes of the BMW M3, Mercedes-AMG C 63 and Audi RS 4 all commanding not only strong sales – and profits – but providing trickle-down desirability for the volume-selling models on which they’re based.

Of the three Germans, only one of them offers a V8 in the medium prestige car segment -- the Mercedes C 63, which still has a 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8. There is speculation within Japan that Lexus is developing an all-new 460kW twin-turbo V8 engine for its hard-core F models, but it’s keeping its cards close to its chest at this stage.

Lexus Australia's chief executive reckons cars like the RC F, RC F Track edition, GS F and LC 500 – all of which continue to use the soon-to-be-retired 5.0-litre V8 – fill the gap left by the IS F, despite being significantly more expensive.

Thompson conceded that the percentage of high-performance Lexus F cars it sells is "smaller than our [German] competitors".

But there is a ray of hope on the horizon for lovers of high-performance Lexus cars, in the form of the just-announced (and still conceptual) 'posture control' that debuted on the 400kW Lexus LF-30 concept car.

"I think Australia is definitely a market that loves its sports variants and performance vehicles, and I think what you've seen in terms of 'posture control', as they’ve called it … you'll see the performance opportunities that delivers in terms of our vehicles, and I think the F brand will be very much a part of that," said Thompson.

"Posture control is bigger than just simply propulsion. It's about what electrification can deliver to the vehicle in terms of its performance. Posture control looks at the adaptive nature of the vehicle -- turning as well as propulsion and other aspects to improve performance.

"I can't definitively tell you about the time frame, but in terms of the LF-30, some of those technologies you’ve seen and heard about will come well inside that [2030] timeframe.

"We want to make the driving experience more fun, re-engaging the driver. This type of tech is supposed to learn with you, grow with you, and improve your ability as a driver."

Lexus is clearly not walking away from its high-performance F sub-brand, but volume-selling models like the IS F will be necessary weapons to fight its German competitors and prop up its top-selling sedan.

As it stands, the three most popular cars in its range are SUVs -- the Lexus NX, UX and RX in that order. The Lexus IS is the fourth best-seller for the brand.

The question is: will the Japanese brand’s new dynamic driveline tech make Lexus sports coupes like the RC F (and the potential LC F) special enough to compensate for the lack of a new IS F sports sedan?