It’s official – Lexus will be discontinuing sales of the RC coupe, IS sedan and CT hybrid hatchback in Europe and the UK. According to AutoExpress, the automaker has already stopped importing the trio.
A Lexus spokesperson said existing stocks for the CT and IS are expected to last a few weeks, whereas the RC will likely sell out by the end of December. Unfortunately, there will be no direct replacements for these discontinued models, at least for the UK market.
Lexus is confident that its remaining offerings will serve the needs of buyers well. The UX and NX SUVs will fill the void left by the CT, while the larger ES sedan should cushion the IS’ departure just fine. Apparently, the ES was outselling the IS at a ratio of two to one in Britain, so the decision to axe the IS wasn’t all too difficult to make. The newly revised IS will continue to be sold in other markets, notably Japan and America.
As for the RC coupe, Lexus said it will continue to sell the range-topping RC F for another year or so, or at least until a successor comes along. The hybrid model, on the other hand, has disappeared from UK showrooms. Over to you – do you think Lexus models are priced too closely to each other for this to happen in the first place? Let us know your thoughts, below.
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Actually the CT200h was selling very well in the UK because of its tax incentives and exemptions of congestion charge when entering London but not so good in the US, the biggest Lexus market in the world. Hence the decision to cut it off from sales and to replace with the trending SUV, crossovers or SUV look alike.. In this case the UX entry level.
I find the CT attractive now, selling at 50-60k unlike when new between 180-250k.
Happy for brits. They got enough rebadging T
You do know that saying Europe includes the UK as well right?
Haven’t you heard of Brexit mate?
Brexit = Leaving the European Union
UK is still geographically in Europe.
Well it’s about time. Maybe lexus should try again with the IS model in Malaysia provided the increase sales and ownership of lexus on the road.