Lexus IS SportCross CGI Reimagines a V8-Wagon Return

Lexus has kept a markedly tighter passenger car lineup in the United States for 2027, offering the compact IS alongside the eighth-generation ES, the latter available as a hybrid or an EV. That constrained menu makes a viral new set of CGI images notable: virtual artist Nikita Chuicko, known online as kelsonik, has revisited the IS and imagined a station-wagon SportCross for a notional 2028 model year, this time dressed entirely in black.

The new render is the latest in a string of speculative designs by kelsonik. It follows a silver SportCross the artist released after Lexus refreshed the third-generation IS, and an orange wagon study shown earlier this year. The black variant continues the same theme, this time fited with all-black bodywork and the option of black or silver aftermarket wheels in the visuals.

From sedan to wagon and beyond

The third-generation Lexus IS first arrived in 2013 and has received several facelifts, in 2017, 2020, and most recently in 2025, when Lexus revised the front end, added a new rear spoiler and overhauled the interior. For the U.S. market the IS lineup has been limited to rear- and all-wheel-drive layouts and the IS 350 model.

For 2027 Lexus sells the IS in F Sport Design and F Sport forms, and an IS 350 F Sport Special Appearance Package, with all three using the same 3.5-liter V6. That engine is rated at 311 horsepower and is claimed to deliver a 0 to 60 mph time of 5.9 seconds.

Kelsonik’s CGI work explicitly plays with alternative body styles and powertrain ideas rather than documenting confirmed factory plans. Early renders paired the SportCross profile with Y-spoke alloy wheels and red brake calipers, prompting speculation about the fitment of the 5.0-liter 2UR-GSE V8, a Toyota family engine credited with 472 horsepower and 395 pound-feet of torque in other Lexus models.

Later studio images included an orange station-wagon concept with dark-concave wheels and an unofficial coupe study, each presented as hypothetical complements to the sedan rather than as announced Lexus products. The black SportCross is the latest iteration, released in late fall by the artist on social platforms.

These renders are designer interpretations shared online and do not indicate confirmed Lexus production plans.

Kelsonik’s work keeps the conversation about alternative IS body styles alive, even as Lexus’ official U.S. passenger-car offering remains focused on the IS and the redesigned ES for the 2027 model year.