Lexus is heading to the upcoming SEMA show in Las Vegas in a big way, and among the slew of products it’s bringing along are two projects by tuning house Five Axis, headed by Troy Sumitomo.

The first is an alternative take on the all-new GS F Sport. The Project GS – Five Axis, built around an F Sport GS 350, gets a widebody conversion and is finished in a Glacier White shade, with Slate Gray accents.

Elsewhere, there’s a custom fabricated twin-tailpipe exhaust, an AirRunner TC-5 air suspension and a Stop Tech Big Brake kit featuring six-pot front and four-pot rear calipers. Finally, the flared wheelarches house FIVE:AD S5:F 20-inch alloys wrapped with 245/35 front and 25/30 profile Yokohama Advan Sport rubbers.

The company has also worked its magic on the CT 200h, focusing on maximum fun with a widebody conversion, a JDSU Dark Passage paint finish with custom black accents and a TEIN performance suspension system.

The cabin is just as edgy as the exterior, with seats that have laser etched inserts in UltraSuede, a synthetic microfibre material from EcoDesign and an illuminated headlining, also finished in UltraSuede. The upholstery has been created by California-based specialist Turinmodel.

Rounding things off in this one-off CT 200h are FIVE:AD 19-inch forged wheels wearing 235/40 tyres and a Stop Tech four-piston braking system.

Lexus is set to unveil the F Sport version of its new GS sedan at the SEMA show in Las Vegas on November 1. The GS F Sport features bolder exterior design elements than its civilian counterpart, and these include a new front bumper design with larger side grilles, as well as a dedicated mesh design for the upper and lower grilles.

At the rear, the F Sport gets a grey metallic finish to the bumper diffuser, and on the GS 450h F Sport there’s an additional chrome moulding on the bumper’s lower section. The package also includes a rear spoiler and – exclusive to the grade – dark metallic finish 19-inch alloy wheels, wearing staggered width rubbers – 235/40 in front, and 265/35 series at the rear.

As for the interior, it gets matching door and seat upholstery finished in a new Garnet (deep red) shade exclusive to the F Sport. Other features include aluminium trim elements, 16-way adjustable F Sport front seats, a black headliner and pillar finish, dimple perforated leather steering wheel and gear knob covers as well as aluminium pedals and scuff plates with the F Sport logo in black.

Performance-wise, all the GS F Sport models are fitted with larger, 356 x 30 mm ventilated front disc brakes, of which the hat section of the braking system’s two-piece rotor is made of aluminium, to reduce weight as well as suppress heat deformation.

The F Sport also gets a retuned front and rear suspension, supported by Adaptive Variable Suspension to maximise body control and steering response. The front and rear shock absorbers have been modified to optimise AVS damping control, and uses low viscosity oil to improve efficiency by reducing friction. The rear shocks have also been inclined further to the rear, and the lower bushings have been made larger and stiffer.

The AVS features two damper setting controls – Normal and Sport S+, the latter for greater body control and precise responses to steering when cornering. Switching to Sport S+ mode automatically increases the difference between inner and outer shock absorber damping.

At the same time, the Variable Gear Ratio Steering automatically reduces the steering gear ratio by about 10% while the electric power steering increases steering assist torque by about 4%, to sharpen handling and optimise steering feel.

As for drive modes, the car has four – Eco, Normal, Sport S and Sport S+. In Sport S mode, engine speed and throttle response are adjusted to give a more engaging driving experience. Switching to Sport S+ combines the enhanced powertrain output of Sport S with co-ordinated control of the GS’s Vehicle Dynamics Integrated Management system.

The last includes the AVS and EPS plus, where fitted, the Lexus Dynamic Handling system, Variable Gear Ratio Steering (VGRS) and Dynamic Rear Steering (DRS), the trio being seen as standard on the GS 450h F Sport, making it the world’s first hybrid vehicle to feature an integrated four-wheel steering system.

The handling system monitors vehicle speed, steering direction and driver inputs, and calculates the optimum angle for all four wheels. With VGRS at the front and DRS at the rear, the system can independently control front and rear wheel steering angles to greatly improve turn-in response, rear grip, stability and overall agility when cornering.

The DRS monitors vehicle speed and yaw rate, steering angle and speed, and lateral G force to determine the required rear wheel steering input, up to a maximum two degrees – at most speeds below 80 km/h) the front and rear wheels turn in opposite directions, while in certain conditions above that speed, they turn in the same direction.

Last week, we posted on Lexus’ planned major lineup revamp, which will see its GS, ES, IS and LS sedans either redesigned or re-engineered by spring 2013. This, plus a halo “LFA Roadster”, will work to address flagging sales in the crucial North American market.

First out will be the new GS, which will be launched at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance on August 18 – a teaser is already out, click here to view it. The production car should retain much of what we see on the LF-Gh Hybrid Concept from the New York show earlier this year – in line with Lexus’ push for a more dynamic image. For the GS, out goes the soap bar shape for sharper BMW E60 style styling.

Around since 2005, the current GS has its smallest engine pegged at 3.0 litres (GS 300), but reports from Thailand say that the new model will have a smaller 2.5-litre V6 engine to better compete with BMW’s 5-Series and Mercedes’ E-Class. This logical move means that for the first time in the GS’ 20-year history, the car will have an engine smaller than 3.0 litres.

This move will allow Lexus to dodge Thailand’s maximum excise tax of 50% for cars with more than 220 hp (GS 300 has 229 hp), allowing it to be priced at “the level of its intended rivals”. The Thai assembled BMW 523i Highline and Mercedes-Benz E250 CGI Avantgarde sell for 4.249 million and 4.299 million baht, respectively. The current Japan made GS 300 is priced between 5.39 million and 5.99 million baht, putting it out of contention.

Lexus already has a 2.5 V6 in its IS compact exec, so this is no big issue. Perhaps Malaysia is part of the plans as well, since we have a road tax system based on engine capacity, and our market is used to mid sized execs with relatively small engines.

The fourth-generation GS will make its first appearance in our region later this year at Thailand’s Motor Expo.

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Lexus has released a sneak peek image of its upcoming all-new GS 350 luxury sport sedan, which it will be unveiling at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance on August 18.

The darkened silhouette depiction doesn’t reveal much about the fourth-generation car, but does highlight the distinctive new front grille – essentially that as seen on the LF-Gh – that will soon be seen on all future Lexus vehicles. The new GS was spotted testing on the Nurburgring in prototype form last month.

The company says the completely redesigned vehicle will feature styling cues – again, largely previewed on the LF-Gh – in line with the brand’s new design philosophy, and will also lead the rest of the Lexus lineup towards an entirely new direction in terms of driving dynamics.

We’ve just posted on BMW recording a big jump in sales and profits. They have to come from somwhere, and a unit gained by Munich is a sale lost by rivals such as Lexus. The North American market is crucial to Toyota’s luxury brand, and recently released July US figures don’t look good for the Japanese – while Audi sales were up 17% and BMW’s 12.3% compared to the same month last year, Lexus volumes slipped by 21.81%.

They’re not standing still, though. Automotive News reports that a major lineup revamp is in the cards, and Lexus’ GS, ES, IS and LS sedans will be either redesigned or re-engineered by spring 2013.

And as hinted by the Lexus GS prototype recently caught testing on Nurburgring, the next generation models will be more dynamic to drive – why else would they bring it to Green Hell and back?

They will look sharper too, as we’ve seen from the LF-Gf hybrid concept. The report adds that Lexus models will have a major change every three years, alternating between sheet metal and powertrain, like how BMW does it.

Besides the sportier new GS, which will debut early next year, the dowdy Lexus ES (pic above) will be redesigned in the summer of 2012 to look more different from donor car Toyota Camry. Its handling will be sharpened and there will be a hybrid option good for 40 mpg (14.2 km/l) combined.

Later in 2012, the compact IS sedan will be re-engineered, based on a shrunken version of the new GS platform. The good looking current car has been around since 2005, so it’s about time for a new one.

The brand’s flagship LS limo will remain for 2012, as a redesign is only due in spring 2013. Apparently, weight saving technology using premium materials is a main focus point, and Lexus will stick with a V8 engine for the range topping hybrid variant. The RX SUV will soldier on till 2014.

Lastly, an “LFA Roadster” will be offered, after the current run of 500 fixed top units is done, plus a one-year gap. That should be around mid 2014. It’s not too big a surprise, as Lexus has shown a topless LFA concept before. Can you imagine the sound of that V10 without a roof in place? It’s gonna be epic for sure!

Stiff competition forces carmakers to keep improving, which is good news for us, the consumer.