Yet another sedan has quietly departed the local market. Yes, the Lexus IS nameplate has officially been discontinued in South Africa after a run of some 27 years…
- Lexus SA has pulled the plug on the IS sedan
- Sedan had been on local market for 27 years
- Updated version not on the cards for Mzansi
Though it felt like only a matter of time, it’s now official: the Lexus IS sedan nameplate has been discontinued in South Africa after a 27-year run on the local market.
We recently noticed the IS – a compact executive saloon conceived to battle the likes of the BMW 3 Series and Mercedes-Benz C-Class – was no longer listed on Lexus SA’s website, so we asked the Toyota-backed luxury brand’s local division whether its smallest sedan had indeed been put out to pasture.
“We can confirm that the Lexus IS has been discontinued in South Africa and this reflects the significant shift in customer preferences away from traditional sedans towards SUVs,” Lexus SA told Cars.co.za in a statement.
“For us, this means aligning our product offering with market trends, particularly the strong demand for premium SUVs, as seen with the introduction of the Lexus GX locally last year,” the Toyota-backed firm added. The GX, of course, started breaking sales records for Lexus SA soon after its local introduction.
In contrast, local sales of the IS sedan have slowed over the years, with only 27 units sold in 2023, a figure that fell further to just 19 units in 2024 and then a mere 11 units in 2025. A lone example was furthermore registered in February 2026, reported as a so-called “single” registration (that is, a vehicle Toyota SA Motors kept and licensed for its own use).
With the flagship LS axed locally towards the end of 2023 and the rear-wheel-drive IS now gone as well, the ES is the only surviving sedan in Lexus South Africa’s line-up. For the record, the 8th generation of the front-wheel-drive ES is expected to launch in Mzansi later this year.
Though an again-updated version of the long-running 3rd-gen Lexus IS was revealed in Japan in September 2025, the company’s local division confirmed to us this revised model is not planned for Mzansi.
As a reminder, the original Lexus IS launched in South Africa back in 1999, with the 2nd generation following in 2006 (including a small allocation of V8-powered IS-F derivatives around 2010). The 3rd-gen model touched down in South Africa in 2013 and remained on the local market for the next 13 years, benefitting from facelifts in late 2016 and early 2021.
The last starting prices we saw for this nameplate before its local discontinuation were R1 102 100 for the IS 300h SE and R1 224 000 for the IS 300 F-Sport Mode Black. The latter special-edition derivative hit the local market at the start of 2025. It used a hybrid powertrain built around a naturally aspirated 2.5-litre, 4-cylinder petrol engine offering 133 kW and 221 Nm, with total system power (including electric assistance) standing at 164 kW.
Over 3 generations and some 27 years, the Lexus IS sedan was available locally with several engine configurations, including straight-6 motors, V6s, a 5.0-litre V8, a turbocharged 4-pot and the aforementioned hybrid powertrain.
Find a Lexus IS on Cars.co.za!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) About the Lexus IS Discontinuation
Q: Why did Lexus decide to stop selling the IS sedan in South Africa?
A: The decision follows a global trend where customer preference has shifted heavily from traditional sedans to premium SUVs. Local sales figures reflect this: only 11 units were sold in the entirety of 2025, while the new Lexus GX SUV has been breaking local sales records since its launch.
Q: Is there an updated version of the IS available in other markets?
A: Yes, a revised version of the 3rd-generation IS was revealed in Japan in September 2025. However, Lexus South Africa has confirmed that this updated model is not in the plans for the local market, marking the end of the nameplate’s 27-year run in Mzansi.
Q: Are there any sedans left in the local Lexus line-up?
A: With the flagship LS and the compact IS now discontinued, the front-wheel-drive Lexus ES is the only remaining sedan in the local range. Fans of the body style can look forward to the 8th-generation ES, which is expected to launch in South Africa later in 2026.
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