Lexus LF-LC / LC500 thread

[daiheadjai]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

I saw the LC 500 in Detroit last month and it was certainly sweet.
It was however (in my eyes) beat out by the Buick Avista concept. If the Avista gets made, stays true to the concept and cost in the range of a Jag Type F it could be a contender for my retirement car (as is the LC 500 at this point).

Oddly, I found the Buick really ho-hum.
It isn't a bad looking car, but to me, it seems awfully derivative...

Oh well... Opinions are subjective... And it would still be very cool if Buick made this.

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by daiheadjai

Oddly, I found the Buick really ho-hum.
It isn't a bad looking car, but to me, it seems awfully derivative...

Oh well... Opinions are subjective... And it would still be very cool if Buick made this.

It is a very GMish design and bears more than a passing resemblance to the Camaro from the right angles. I can just never get over those Lexus grills. They just bug me somehow.

[vh_supra26]

The second addition to the LC coupe range is called the LC 500h and it's a hybrid.

Revealed officially with minor tweaks on the outside and a fresh blue color, the brand new Lexus LC 500h promises "enhanced driving pleasure, more performance and greater efficiency", putting the next-gen hybrid Multi Stage Hybrid System to the test.

While the "regular" LC 500 makes 467hp from a 5.0-liter V8, there's no word yet on the "h" powertrain. It would not be too far-fetched to presume it will use the 3.5-liter V6 that's coupled to with a water-cooled permanent-magnet electric motor from the GS 450h. In the luxury sedan, it's good for 340hp, although the LC might get some juice to stay in line with its sports coupe credentials.

Full details on the new model will be announced on March 1, at 11:30 CET, at the company's stand in Hall 4, Palexpo, at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show, where it will make its world premiere.

Toyota's luxury brand will also showcase the LF-FC Concept at the same event, which "is a visionary new vehicle that offers a peak into the design and technology direction of Lexus' future flagship sedan". The study was first presented at the 2015 Tokyo Motor Show and uses a high output fuel cell system along with automated driving tech and human machine interface (HMI).

http://www.carscoops.com/2016/02/lex...ading-for.html





[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szeZ6Y0nA6g[/ame]

Lexus LC 500h detailed, packs 354 hp [video]

After being unveiled earlier this week, the Lexus LC 500h is back to reveal all of its technical specifications along with fresh imagery and footage.

The rumors were true as the hybrid version of the LC 500 does indeed come with a 3.5-liter V6 gasoline engine working together with an electric motor. Also part of the package is a lithium-ion battery pack and a four-speed automatic transmission which has a manual mode. The combustion engine develops 295 horsepower (220 kilowatts) at 6,600 rpm and 257 pound-feet (348 newton meters) at 4,900 rpm, while the e-motor has 60 hp (44.6 kilowatts).

This gives the hybridized coupe a combined output of 354 hp (264 kilowatts) which will be enough for a sprint to 62 miles (100 kilometers) per hour in less than five seconds. This is all possible thanks to Lexus’ “Multi Stage Hybrid System” sending all the power to the rear wheels which should make the 2+2 coupe really fun to drive.

It uses many aluminum body parts to shave off weight, including the hood, fenders, door skins, front suspension towers, along with a carbon fiber roof and a carbon & glass composite trunk lid. All of these are mounted on a carbon fiber structure and the car rides on standard 20-inch cast aluminum wheels. At an additional cost, buyers will be able to upgrade to optional 20- or 21-inch forged aluminum wheels that cut bulk even further.

The lithium-ion battery pack weighs only 110 pounds (50 kilograms) and is linked to a newly developed lightweight electric motor that has a more compact size.

The Lexus LC 500h is 187.4-inches (4760-mm) long, 75.5-inches (1920-mm) wide, 53-inches (1345-mm) tall, and comes with a wheelbase spanning at 113 inches (2870 mm). Special attention was given to the new multi-link front suspension which uses two upper and two lower control arms with double ball joints on each arm.

It will come as standard with the Lexus Safety System + incorporating a pre-crash safety system with a pedestrian detection function, along with adaptive cruise control, automatic high beam, and lane keeping assist.

The 2016 Lexus LC 500h will celebrate its public debut on March 1 at the Geneva Motor Show.

http://www.worldcarfans.com/11602181...s-354-hp-video

Lexus has released details on the new LC 500h, which was previewed earlier this week.

The new coupe uses a Multi Stage Hybrid System that consists of a 299PS (295hp) 3.5-liter V6 petrol engine and an electric motor that takes juice from a lithium-ion battery pack.

Its total system output is 359PS (354hp), sent to the wheels through a four-speed automatic gearbox mounted at the rear. The result is a 0 to 100km/h (62mph) time in less than 5 seconds, half a second slower than the V8-powered LC 500.

The Lexus LC 500h is 4,760mm long, 1,920mm wide and 1,345 mm tall, with a 2,870mm wheelbase. The coupe looks just as striking as the non-hybrid variant that owned this year's Detroit Auto Show.

Inside, the new hybrid adopts the next-gen touch pad for the RTI (Remote Touch Interface) and 2017 Lexus multimedia package that debuts in the LC with new software that enables future enhancements and updated graphic user interface. These are joined by Mark Levinson audio package and a new premium Pioneer audio system, offered as standard, premium materials, hand-stitched leather and Alcantara door trim.

Standard equipment includes Lexus Safety System +, which helps prevent or mitigate collisions across a wide range of traffic situations, combining a camera and millimeter-wave radar for high level detection performance. It also has pedestrian detection function, All-speed Adaptive Cruise Control, Lane-Keep Assist and Automatic High Beam headlight tech.

Lexus will display the LC 500h at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show in less than two weeks' time.

http://www.carscoops.com/2016/02/lex...9-ps-gets.html

As Lexus' new hybrid coupe is getting ready for its world premiere, it stars in a fresh image gallery.

Previewed earlier this week and detailed only yesterday, the LC 500h will debut in Geneva, with its RTI (Remote Touch Interface), 2017 Lexus multimedia package, which debuts in the LC with new software, Mark Levinson audio package, premium Pioneer audio system, Alcantara trim, hand-stitched leather and premium materials.

The 500h carries a 3.5-liter V6 petrol engine, with 299PS (295hp), and an electric motor, for a total system output of 359PS (354hp), connected to a four-speed automatic. Lexus claims that in Eco mode, the vehicle will start on electric power and skip the first two gears, while in Sport and Sport+, the engine will kick in from a stop and the transmission will select the lowest ratio.

In EV mode, the 44.6kW battery, which was switched from nickel metal to lithium-ion, allows the car to drive for approximately one mile (1.6km), depending on the traffic situation. The manufacturer offers the "M" mode too, which "gives drivers the ability to initiate direct and responsive gear shifts for the most sporting an engaging drive yet from a Lexus hybrid".

Considering that it is just 0.5 seconds slower in the 0-100 km/h (0-62mph)sprint than the non-hybrid LC 500 with its naturally aspirated petrol V8, and that it promises better fuel economy, which of the two would you choose?

The new Lexus LC 500h will have a radical new transmission, combining the continuously variable transmission traditionally found on most hybrids with a four-speed automatic gearbox — CAR Magazine has the best explanation of the new setup:

Four speeds? Doesn’t the non-hybrid LC500 V8 have a 10-speed transmission?

It does. But when you switch the hybrid over to Manual mode, it’ll act like it’s got 10 gears, too. The electric motor and CVT partnership is able to multiply each of the first three gears in the automatic transmission three times – turning three real ratios into nine virtual ones; the fourth physical ratio acts as an overdrive, enabling the V6 to turn over at much lower rpm when cruising.

In essence, the additional automatic gearbox works in combination with the hybrid system’s CVT to deliver 10 specific gear ratios — Chief Engineer Koji Sato is quoted in saying “the difference between the real gears and the virtual ones is barely perceptible”.

CAR Magazine also has more information on the performance credibility of the new hybrid coupe:

The new system can also cruise at higher electric only speeds (87mph has been suggested, up from 62mph – albeit for only the same short periods as existing Lexus technology) and, more significantly, is able to deploy its power and torque much more rapidly. Response should therefore be much stronger, especially from a standstill; the LC500h will not only hit 62mph in under 5.0sec, it is also capable of breaking traction, so for the first time you’ll be able to smoke the rear tyres of a Lexus hybrid.

https://lexusenthusiast.com/2016/02/...-transmission/

While Lexus Europe may not be forecasting big sales for the upcoming LC coupe, it’s a very important model for the region — from a WardsAuto interview with Alain Uyttenhoven, head of Lexus Europe:

“The market for high-end sports cars is 40,000 per year,” Uyttenhoven says. “If we sell a few hundred in Germany, it’s not enough to say we are making big inroads in terms of share. But yes, in terms of image, it’s a change for Lexus.”

The LC 500h fits within the emerging class of premium sporty hybrids, such as the BMW i8, Porsche 918 Spyder and the new Acura NSX.

“This car brings the hybrid into the domain of high performance,” Uyttenhoven says. “I was discussing with an engineer…that technically it would be possible to spin the wheels on dry asphalt with this hybrid. It’s strange but technically possible. That’s a big change for us.”

The WardsAuto article also has some insight into Lexus Europe’s expectations for the 2016 sales year:
In 2015, Lexus sold 652,000 vehicles globally, and only 64,000 of those deliveries occurred here in Western Europe, arguably the most important and diverse luxury market in the world.

Lexus is looking to sell 70,000 cars in the region this year, and central to the strategy is offering hybrids as an alternative to diesels, which remain popular across Europe.

https://lexusenthusiast.com/2016/02/...ion-in-europe/

“Both are my babies, but maybe I would buy the hybrid.” So says Koji Sato, the new Lexus LC’s chief engineer, when asked whether he’d rather have the V8-powered LC500, or the petrol-electric LC500h, both on sale in Spring 2017. It’s a bold call, given Lexus’ current range of hybrids aren’t exactly what you’d call dynamic, but then this 500h is something entirely new.

Let’s start slowly, with the basics, because by Lexus’ own admission it’s the most fiendishly complicated powertrain it has ever produced. Much like the RX450h it combines a 295bhp 3.5-litre V6 with a CVT gearbox, a generator motor (that also controls the ratio of the CVT) and an electric motor for a total of 354bhp and a 0-62mph time of under five seconds. So far, so familiar. But there’s more…

To answer criticism (a fair proportion of it from us) that with a CVT gearbox the engine revs rarely match the throttle position (something often referred to as ‘the rubber-band effect’, or ‘that infuriating whine when I use anything more than half throttle effect’) Lexus has tacked on a four-speed auto gearbox at the end of the transmission, with four real fixed ratios.

If four seems like a low number, fear not – in manual mode the driver will have 10 steps to select from with paddles behind the wheel. The first three gears in the new auto ‘box are combined with three artificially chosen ratios in the CVT (that’s nine gears right there), while the fourth gear is an overdrive – taking the total to 10. It’s no coincidence that’s the same number as the V8 model’s real 10-spd auto, an engineer told us “studies have shown that a 10-speed gearbox gives the best dynamic reaction.” Sounds like a few too many to us.

On the face of it, it’s a lot of effort to go to ‘simulate’ a 10-cog gearbox. Why not just bolt on a real 10-speeder and be done with it? The answer, of course, is efficiency: with the CVT and the four-speed auto working together the LC500h can pull a handful of neat tricks.

A much higher first gear ratio means the LC500h can spin its not-insubstantial rear tyres on dry tarmac. We look forward to putting that claim to the test. The greater spread of ratios means it can now run all the way to 88mph without switching the engine on (the RX450h runs out at 62mph), and at high cruising speeds the engine can tick over at very low rpm to replenish the battery.

“Basically it locks up and feels great when you’re going for it, but then packs up and goes into maximum efficiency mode when you’re not,” says Stefan Ramaekers, Lexus’ senior technical trainer and the man tasked with explaining the tech to a group of puzzled journalists.

There were promising noises from Alain Uyttenhoven, Lexus’ European boss, too, who mused that he “could imagine two lines of high-performance LC, but the heart of the market is in improving the V8, not the hybrid”. Interesting stuff. Makes sense too, because adding more power to the hybrid would mean a bigger electric motor and a bigger battery pack to deliver the extra current, adding more pesky weight and blunting agility.

“Priced somewhere between the 6-Series and the Porsche 911” is Uyttenhoven’s only guide on positioning of the LC at this stage, with the hybrid and V8 model priced “extremely closely” in the UK. So it’s not a £350,000 LFA replacement - under the £100,000 mark seems likely - but this is the beginning of a brave and more emotional Lexus brand, he claims. We approve.

http://www.topgear.com/car-news/firs...-hybrid-system

[Dark]

4100lb 350hp does 0-60 in less than 5 sec? I'm impressed.

[Leonardo]

Sweet interior! I could hang out in there.






Till the sales man asks me to get out of the car. Lol

[Mr.Impreza]

This car looks amazing....very beautiful!...would be nice to see a manual option!

However, I'm waiting for this cause I'm a Volvo fanboy

[EAGLE5]

Originally Posted by Mr.Impreza

This car looks amazing....very beautiful!...would be nice to see a manual option!

However, I'm waiting for this cause I'm a Volvo fanboy

Is that a Mustang with a Volvo front bumper and grill?

[fumanchu1]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

It is a very GMish design and bears more than a passing resemblance to the Camaro from the right angles. I can just never get over those Lexus grills. They just bug me somehow.

The worst part is I think those grills would be decent looking if they shove a silver or colored horizontal line in the middle of the grill (the part where the edges are the closest to one another)

[vh_supra26]

With the Lexus LC 500h having its official debut today at the Geneva Motor Show, here are some new images of the hybrid coupe in an Atomic Silver and red leather color combination:

https://lexusenthusiast.com/2016/03/...atomic-silver/

[LFA.Baby]

LeMans LC500 rendered by me, to see more of my work http://afongdesign.tumblr.com/

[gymratter]

@LFA.Baby, you have awesome photoshop skills.

[vh_supra26]

Website Top Speed has produced a rendering of the Lexus LC 500 as a GT3 race car — here’s a full resolution version with zoomed-up details:

Even more interesting than the rendering is the idea that Lexus could produce a LC GT3 race car at all. The RC F is currently the platform for Lexus Racing worldwide, and given the investment of resources required in building a competitive team, it will likely remain the default choice for years to come.

But could an LC be used in a similar way as the LFA, where it competes in specific races like the 24 Hours of Nürburgring? It would make a certain amount of sense, though I suspect Lexus will wait until the eventual LC F high-performance variant is released.

https://lexusenthusiast.com/2016/03/...-gt3-race-car/

[vh_supra26]

Coming straight from the 2016 Geneva Motor Show, the hybrid coupe makes its marking its first appearance in North America in New York.

Officially shown earlier this month, the LC 500h version uses the next-gen Multi Stage Hybrid System powertrain that was specifically designed for performance vehicles.

The system aligns engine speeds and throttle inputs, while balancing fuel consumption with power and also features an "M" mode, allowing drivers to initiate direct and responsive gear shifts.

The hybrid follows the LC 500, which was presented in January, at NAIAS. The high-performance coupe marked the firm's shift in engineering processes and design direction, with its aerodynamic shape, V8 engine and the newly developed 10-speed automatic transmission, the first one to be used in a luxury vehicle.

Besides the two coupes, Toyota's brand will also showcase the 2016 GS F performance-oriented sedan, with its 5.0-liter naturally aspirated V8 producing 467 HP, along with the 2016 RX, wrapped in a "brilliant color print". These will be joined by the GS F and RC F "360 Virtual Reality Experience", which will allow visitors to the event to experience them as "if driving on a professional track".

http://www.carscoops.com/2016/03/lex...t-with-lc.html

[mark0006]

Lexus LC 500 Exhaust Sound

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r99hBFvDYvI"]Lexus LC 500 Exhaust Sound - YouTube[/ame]