If reports are to be believed, Lexus — a vehicle division of Toyota Motor Corp will be adding a new performance coupe to its lineup for the 2014 model year. A GS- based performance coupe, the new vehicle will be the successor of SC 430 coupe that was discontinued in 2010. The company is indeed in demand of a high-end coupe and the officials inside the firm have publicly disclosed they would love to see a performance coupe to boost the brand name of the company.

For instance, Karl Schlicht — head of global product planning for Lexus once said that the Lexus brand needs a sporty coupe to catch-up with its renewed lineup of sedans and crossovers. Not only Karl Schlicht, but Mark Templin— the U.S. head of Lexus, also said that he wants a sport coupe in a price range of $60,000-$70,000.

The two-door version of the GS-based coupe would come to that range that everyone expects. As it features a rear-wheel-drive layout and midsize proportions, it will be perfect rival for the competing luxury coupes like the Audi A5/S5, BMW 6 Series and Mercedes-Benz E-Class coupe. The price of existing top-ranging GS sedan starts at around $60,000. The engine specifications to use in the new model have not yet decided and it seems it would be the only major hurdle that the automaker has to face. In the GS 450h, it uses a hybrid V6 engine while the GS 350 gets a V6 only.

Both will not be used in the new model and it would be better that the coupe could arrive as a GS-F model with a unique drivetrain and tuning. Given the heavy rollout of new Lexus models in 2012, don’t expect the introduction of the GS coupe until the first quarter of 2013. The sales will probably begin later in the year.

via Insideline