After weeks of internet speculation and photo leaks, Lexus has finally taken the wraps off the LF-LC concept, a dynamic hybrid coupe that hints at the design language Lexus will use for future vehicles.

“The concept we’re showing here in Detroit continues the Lexus design revolution started with the CT and GS,” said Mark Templin, Lexus group vice president and general manager. “The concept hybrid 2+2 liberates the idea of a sport coupe and pushes the boundaries of performance, style and technology.”

Created by the Lexus’ Calty design studio in Newport Beach, the LF-LC features a streamlined profile, plenty of curves and a bold interpretation of the company’s new signature spindle grille. An elongated hood, taillights shaped like jet afterburners and prominent side air intakes mark the car as a serious performance machine. An unusual lighting arrangement is highlighted by L-shaped daytime running lamps and vertical fog lamps that employ a fading dot matrix pattern to suggest a sense of movement.

The interior is a flowing mixture of organic shapes and advanced technology trimmed in wood, leather, suede and brushed metal. Two 12.3-inch touch screens control the audio system, climate controls and navigation, while the windows, mirrors, seat adjustments and entertainment settings are all activated by touch controls, too.

Perhaps the most striking aspect of the cabin, however, is the combination multi-level analog and LCD readout that sits in front of the driver, which features a central tachometer in addition in addition to secondary readouts relaying information about fuel level, temperature etc.

Lexus didn’t give details concerning what’s under the hood, simply saying that the LF-LC uses an advanced hybrid powertrain.

“This thought-provoking design exercise is a stunning expression of creativity,” said Templin. “Combined with a next-generation hybrid powertrain, this concept promises a rewarding driving experience that is also kinder to the environment.”

Lexus Reveals LF-LC Blue at 2012 Australian International Motor Show

KEY POINTS:
• Lexus reveals LF-LC Blue concept
• Concept leverages Project LFA with use of carbon fibre
• Debuts next generation Lexus Hybrid Drive with high energy battery pack
• New drivetrain develops 372kW
• Unique Opal Blue inspired by precious stone

SYDNEY, Australia, Oct. 18, 2012 – Australia Lexus has revealed the stunning LF-LC Blue concept at the Australian International Motor Show in Sydney. Clad in unique Opal Blue, it is the second version of the LF-LC, first debuted at the Detroit Auto Show earlier this year.

The all-new Opal Blue exterior is inspired by the lustrous base colour found in the naturally occurring semi-precious opal stone of outback Australia.

Beneath the blue skin LF-LC combines advanced technologies and materials with organic design, giving an insight into what the future of sports cars may hold. Central to the concept is a suite of advanced materials and technologies, including lightweight carbon fibre and the next generation of Lexus' industry-leading hybrid powertrain.

New to LF-LC and derived from project LFA, LF-LC leverages Lexus' extensive in-house experience in marrying carbon fibre and aluminium alloy materials to achieve a light body mass. The result is an extremely taut body that responds quickly and crisply to driver inputs – providing the perfect platform for the next-generation Lexus Hybrid Drive system.

Dubbed Advanced Lexus Hybrid Drive, the system features a powerful and efficient Atkinson cycle combustion engine which is mated to an advanced high-energy battery pack. The high-energy battery pack is designed to deliver greater power from a smaller battery than those currently used in Lexus' range of hybrid vehicles. Combined, the LF-LC Blue concept's petrol/electric hybrid powertrain develops 372kW (500hp) – the most of any Lexus hybrid.

Lexus Australia's Tony Cramb said that LF-LC Blue is a demonstration of what the future may hold for sports cars.

"For decades, Lexus has been synonymous with hybrid drivetrains, superior build quality, comfort and reliability," Cramb said. "With the LF-LC we now reinforce our design and technology credentials. The LF-LC is absolutely stunning. Its good looks mask some very exciting design and engineering innovations that will influence Lexus vehicles in the future.

"LF-LC is part concept, part reality: the concept hints at what's to come from Lexus, while the reality has us actively studying how we can engineer and build a vehicle like this in the future."

Supporting LF-LC's engineering feats is a stunning, technology-laden exterior and interior, clad in a new white and brown interior. Commanding the concept's bold front end are sculpted "L" shaped daytime running lights, vertical fog lamps and a fading dot matrix pattern to convey a sense of movement.

Continuing the sense of motion, LF-LC's side profile is commanded by deeply sculpted air intakes behind the doors. A wrap-around glass roof provides a panoramic view to the outside world while slicing through the air.

The concept car's glass roof features a lightweight, cantilevered pillar with a glass-to-glass junction inspired by modern architecture. LF-LC's dynamic lines are carried through to the rear deck, sculpturally integrating the spindle grille theme to complement the front of the vehicle while creating a unique sense of width. Tail lamps, inspired by a jet aeroplane afterburner, make use of inner lighting to create a remarkable sense of depth.

The rear is also fitted with fog lamps, repeating the fading dot matrix pattern of the front fog lamps. Visually, the integrated tail and fog lamps repeat the "L" shape and lead the viewer's eye down to the powerful Lexus quad exhaust.

The interior of the LF-LC concept contrasts the cool ambience of advanced technology with soft textures and organic shapes to create a driver-focused synergy of form and function. The cockpit expresses a feeling of both openness and security. The driver is enveloped by deeply scooped side panels and a high, curved console. The effect is to focus the driver zone on the controls and on the road.

Based on Lexus' commitment to creating an intuitive driving experience, the
LF-LC incorporates a remote touch-screen device that allows the driver to comfortably operate controls without shifting position or altering their line of sight.

Twin 12.3-inch LCD screens provide information and navigation display. Inputs come from a touch-screen control board piercing the swept centre console. The interface is used to control the audio system, climate controls and navigation, and features a pop-up touch-screen keyboard for more complex entries. Set directly in front of the driver, multi-level meters layer analogue and LCD technologies. The bottom layer displays temperature, fuel and the background for the Eco meter. The middle layer is the tachometer mechanical centre ring. The topmost layer provides indicators for the tachometer, speedometer and Eco meter.

Surfaces throughout the cabin are presented in a combination of smooth leather and suede, with brushed metal trim and wood accents. The lightweight, race-inspired front seats are formed of multiple layers and repeat the interlacing curves that define the cabin interior. The racing-style steering wheel is clad in lightweight carbon fibre and contains integrated controls and start button.

Lexus LF-LC Headed to Production



AUSTIN, TX – Lexus confirms the LF-LC concept car will enter production, a move long rumored since the rear-wheel-drive hybrid sport coupe was introduced to much fanfare at the 2012 North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

“That was (intended as) a concept car, and I think it surprised everybody, including us, when Japan said due to overwhelming response they decided to do it,” Brian Smith, Lexus’ vice president-marketing, tells WardsAuto at a recent media event here. “It’s a huge win.”

Smith declines to reveal details about the LF-LC, including when production will begin.

The concept was a studio-wide effort by Toyota's Newport Beach, CA-based designers to "advance the redefinition of Lexus with emotive, avant-garde beauty and advanced technology, yet remain within reach for premium buyers."

It’s unclear where the LF-LC will slot into Lexus’ lineup, although it likely will be built in limited numbers and priced above most of the brand’s mainstream products. It also is unknown if the production coupe will have a hybrid powertrain like the concept, as speculation has pegged the car as the successor to the non-hybrid, discontinued SC 430.

The GT Channel, a car enthusiast website, says the production car may be named the LC 550 and incorporate many of the concept’s design elements.

Even with the addition of the LF-LC, Smith says holes remain in Lexus’ lineup. Among models needed are more cross/utility vehicles, which are growing in popularity worldwide.

The Lexus RX currently is the only CUV in the luxury marque’s lineup. A number of auto makers, including Ford’s Lincoln division, have cited small CUVs as an area of growth in the luxury segment.

“In general, CUVs of any size are becoming a bigger force in the industry. So as we sell more products globally, I think that could lead to new products for us,” Smith says, declining to reveal details.

Smith says one of the brand’s two large body-on-frame SUVs, the GX and LX, could be converted to unibody platforms as the auto maker works to meet looming government-imposed fuel-economy regulations.

“In the future, if we could do a 3-row unibody (utility vehicle), I think that’s what consumers would want to see,” he says.

Smith says Lexus has no plans to introduce a diesel powertrain in the U.S., noting the auto maker is known for hybrids, which he considers a better fuel-economy solution.

Lexus’ European competitors are “sort of forced to go diesel because that’s where their skill set is,” he says. “And I think it still remains to be seen the acceptance of diesel in the U.S. It’s clearly improving, but hybrid is an easy sell.”

As for borrowing plug-in hybrid-electric vehicle technology from parent Toyota, Smith says it likely wouldn’t appeal to luxury consumers who want a no-compromise vehicle.

“For PHEVs, the target is somebody who drives shorter distances and wants to maximize the electric range, and I don’t think that’s where luxury is,” he says.

There currently are no plans for an entry-level non-hybrid car to slot in under the all-new ’14 IS sport coupe, although Smith says that remains a possibility if the market demands it. Lexus retails the compact hybrid hatchback CT 200h in the U.S.

Luxury competitors have been forced to offer entry-level vehicles to meet fuel-economy mandates, but Smith says Lexus, due to its grouping with Toyota and Scion, does not need such fuel-sippers.

However, he says Lexus will continue to monitor the trend toward small, entry-level luxury vehicles. And if there’s sufficient demand, “Lexus might go there someday.”