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Lexus planning second flagship alongside LS sedan

Lexus is planning to launch another flagship to slot alongside the LS sedan, but we don't know if it will be a coupe or a crossover. The coupe has been the persistent rumor. Lexus showed the two-door LF-LC concept in 2012 and a production model could borrow its underpinnings from the LS sedan. It's tipped to wear the letters LC or to revive the SC nameplate. The previous SC launched in 1991 as a fixed-roof coupe and offered inline-six or V8 engines. It was replaced in 2001 with the SC430 that had a V8 and a folding hardtop. While the coupe idea may seem like the leading candidate, the company's ambiguity is leading to speculation that the new flagship could adopt a different body-style altogether. "We need a flagship," Lexus general manager Jeff Bracken told Reuters. "It doesn't have to be a sedan." "In addition to the LS, there could be another flagship in our lineup," Bracken said. "We'll define what it is in January." The comments suggest something will be revealed at the Detroit auto show and could open the door to a new flagship SUV or crossover. That position is currently held by the LX 570, which is closely based on the Toyota Land Cruiser. However, sales of the LX have been less than stellar. From the 14,000-plus units Lexus sold of the original LX 470 when it launched in the US back in 2000, annual sales have dropped to just over 4,000 the last few years. Mercedes regularly sells over 25,000 of its GL-Class crossovers each year in the US alone. Last year Audi sold 18,000 Q7s here despite its imminent replacement. Land Rover sold nearly 13,000 Range Rovers last year and another 18,000 Range Rover Sports. Meanwhile, Cadillac typically sells between 20,000 and 30,000 Escalades every year, down from the 50,000-60,000 it sold a decade ago. A facelift is due for the LX that ought to spike sales a little, but Lexus will need more than a refresh to catch up with those rivals. In the meantime, it reportedly plans to roll out a three-row variant of the new RX before its lifespan is over. "We don't want to wait for a next generation" to give the RX the added seating capacity many customers are demanding, said Bracken. Related Video:

Lexus LCs for SEMA inspired by Blue Morpho butterfly, Marvel's Black Panther

Lexus is bringing a pair of LC 500 coupes to this year's SEMA show, and they're thoroughly different vehicles to one another. The first is a production car, the Lexus LC Inspiration Series. It's a highly limited-edition car that is mostly stock except for a unique paint job. The other also has a special paint scheme, but it's a one-off show car designed around the upcoming Marvel movie, " Black Panther," in which an LC 500 will be featured. The LC 500 Inspiration Series, being a production car, should be of the most interest to consumers, but also because of its special paint. Looking at it, it's very clearly blue, but according to Lexus, there are no actual blue pigments in the paint. Instead, the blue hue comes from the way nano-structures buried in the paint reflect blue light. It works similarly to the wings of the Blue Morpho butterfly, which also lack any actual blue coloration, but the structure of the wings' surfaces reflect blue light. This paint is not easy to make, either. Lexus says it takes eight months to produce a batch, and only two cars with the coating can be built each day. So it's easy to understand why this is a limited edition car and color. Only 100 will be sold in the United States. To sweeten the deal, this Inspiration Series edition comes standard with 21-inch forged wheels, exclusive carbon fiber door sill plates, and, for some reason, a Barneys sommelier bar set with a design inspired by the LC. View 11 Photos As subtle as the Lexus LC 500 Inspiration Series is, the Black Panther LC 500 isn't. The car features an extremely widened body. It's a fairly elegant design, except for the stuck-on claws on the side mirrors that are echoed by the silver panted fender vent strakes. The paint scheme is equally absurd. The dark indigo blue paint has an enormous Black Panther mask design on the hood. Under the car is blue underglow, and the interior is finished in black leather with blue Alcantara. Lexus also lists a number of fictional features for the car, since it is meant for the Black Panther superhero. Among them are a bulletproof, self-healing Vibranium body, systems controlled by a "Wakandan B-CPU (Brain/Computer interface) creating a symbiotic relationship between the vehicle and its driver," and side mirrors with "instinctual positioning technology" to automatically move to the right position for the driver.

Lexus teases its fourth flagship model

Out of nowhere, Lexus has dropped a teaser for a new vehicle to be revealed very soon. And it sounds like it's not just any model addition. The company describes it in press releases as its fourth flagship and as a "one-of-a-kind." The other flagships the company refers to are the LS sedan, LC coupe and LX SUV. Unfortunately for us, it's darn difficult to tell what the teaser is of. All we can really make out are the colors of a dark bronze and piano black. There's also a silver cylinder just standing at the edge of the image. There aren't any lights or door handles or other visible vehicle parts. Still, since Lexus refers to it as a new flagship, we presume this teaser is of a new vehicle. While the brand may seem to have a full flagship lineup among the three aforementioned models, one of them is increasingly an outlier: the LX. While it is indeed a top-rung SUV, its body-on-frame construction and off-road capabilities make it less of a real on-road competitor to new flagship crossovers such as the new Audi Q8 and upcoming BMW X7. As such, we have a feeling the teaser could be to a flagship crossover, and it will probably be based on the LF-1 Limitless concept shown at the 2018 Detroit Auto Show. The company has already expressed a strong desire to produce something like it. It seems like a pretty safe bet unless this all turns out to be a corny branding exercise in which Lexus launches a cologne or stereo system inspired by its flagship cars. At least we won't have long to learn what the mystery product is, since the company said more information would come 24 hours after the teaser dropped. Related Video: Image Credit: Lexus Lexus Luxury lexus lf-1 limitless