Lexus LC

Development

The LC was developed under the program codename "950A" from 2011 to 2016. It was previewed by the LF-LC Concept, which was designed at Calty Design Research in Newport Beach, California. The concept vehicle was revealed at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show. Design work was later transferred from Calty to Toyota Technical Centre in Aichi, Japan in January 2013, with a final production design freeze in the first half of 2014.[16][17]

Introduction

Four years after the concept's debut, the production model, dubbed LC 500, was introduced in January 2016 at the same venue.[18] It shares the same 5.0-litre 2UR-GSE V8 engine with the RC F and GS F with power slightly increased to 471 hp.[19][20] It is paired with a 10-speed automatic transmission.[21][19]

A hybrid-electric model, dubbed LC 500h, was revealed in Geneva in February 2016.[22][23] It is powered by a 3.5-litre 8GR-FXS V6 engine, a hybrid transmission, and a lithium-ion battery pack with a combined 354 hp output at 6,600 rpm,[24] and an estimated 500 Nm of combined torque at 3000 rpm.[25] The battery has 44 kW and 1.1 kWh and can power the car for 4 miles.[26]

Discontinuation

Lexus announced that the production of the LC 500 coupe and convertible will end on August 2026, and 2026 will be the final model year for the North American market.[27]

Manufacturing

The LC is built at Toyota's Motomachi facility, the same plant that produced the LFA.[28] The factory was reconfigured for LC production, which included finishing the entire facility's interior in white.[28] Many of the "Takumi" master craftsmen who built the LFA continue their work on different areas of the LC, including carbon fibre parts, leatherwork and paint. Series production commenced in March 2017, with the first example completed on April 23, 2017.

Concept cars

The LC Convertible Concept is based on the LC. It has 22-inch wheels and white leather trim with gold accent stitching. Tadao Mori was the Chief Designer.[29] It weighed more than the LC coupé, therefore the top speed and acceleration times dropped slightly.[30]

Convertible

The LC 500 Convertible, based on the concept car, was unveiled at the LA Auto Show on November 20, 2019.[31] Its four-layer soft top roof can be operated at speeds of up to 50 km/h. Its features include a transparent polycarbonate wind deflector, neck heaters, and Active Noise Control (ANC) technology.[32]

Chassis

The LC is the first vehicle to use Lexus' front-engine, rear-wheel drive platform, dubbed "Global Architecture – Luxury" (GA-L). It consists of various materials, including high-strength steel, aluminium, and carbon fibre.[35][36] The GA-L platform would underpin future rear-wheel drive models, including the LS 500, which was introduced in January 2017. The platform is designed to provide lower overall mass, improved front/rear weight distribution, and a low center of gravity. Run-flat tires are also used to avoid the need for a spare, and the vehicle battery has been relocated to the trunk to improve weight distribution.[33]

The suspension is a double-joint multi-link suspension with a forged aluminium upper arm is secured at two points, which ensures all movements are mirrored from the lower arm. The double-joint design reduces the necessary height of the suspension system, as placement is lower than a traditional single-joint setup.[33]

Powertrain

LC 500

The LC 500 is powered by a 2UR-GSE 5.0-litre V8 engine which is an updated version of the engine found in the RC F, GS F and other F cars alike. It uses D-4S direct and port fuel injection, Atkinson cycle operation and VVT-i. The engine produces 351 kW at 7,100 rpm and 540 Nm of torque at 4,800 rpm and is mated to a 10-speed Direct Shift automatic transmission.[33] Lexus claimed that the LC 500 can hit 0-60 mph in 4.4 seconds.[37]

LC 500h

The LC 500h employs a hybrid powertrain, known as the Lexus Multi Stage Hybrid system.[38] It consists of a 3.5-litre 8GR-FXS V6 engine which produces 220 kW at 6,600 rpm and 356 Nm of torque at 5,100 rpm, in addition to two electric motors whose total output is 132 kW and 300 Nm of torque.[39] Combined power output over the entire system is 264 kW and 500 Nm of torque.[39][25]

The engine and motors are coupled to a unique transmission, which consists of a four-speed automatic transmission embedded inside a continuously variable transmission. This “dual” transmission provides stepped access to the torque generated by the electric motor, and functions similarly to a 10-speed automatic transmission.[33][40]

Super GT

GT500

The LC500 GT500 is a GT500 GT race car derived from the road-going LC500 for use in the Super GT from 2017 onwards. The car is the direct replacement to the Lexus RC F GT500, which competed in the 2014 to 2016 Super GT seasons.[42] The LC500 GT500 car made its début at the 2017 Okayama GT 300km,[43] and claimed 14 race wins of the 24 overall entered races from 2017 until 2019 (26 with the Super GT/DTM crossover events). In 2020, with the introduction of the new Class One and the revival of the Supra nameplate, the Toyota GR Supra would take its place in the GT500 category.

GT300

For 2023, a GT300 version of the LC500h, called the LC500h GT, was developed by APR as a replacement for their Toyota Prius GT300. The car features the same hybrid system as the Prius before it.[44]