Garaged One Owner 2003 Lexus Sc430 Convertible on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Lexus previews the concept car that illustrates its new brand vision

Lexus will start writing the next chapter in its 32-year history when it unveils a mysterious concept car in spring 2021. It hasn't revealed the design study's name yet, but it explained the model will show what's coming. Koji Sato, the company's president and chief branding officer, noted that the concept "illustrates our intentions for the future, and marks the beginning of the next generation of Lexus." He stopped short of providing additional details, but the company's plans for the future are fairly easy to decipher. Lexus isn't going to start making rifles, lawn mowers, or garage flooring; it's very likely going to electrify its range while reinventing its design language for the 2020s and adding more technology — including advanced semi-automated systems — to its cars. The dark preview image released by Lexus shows the concept car's rear end. We see a relatively low roof accented by a fin, a sculpted rear bumper that's much wider than the greenhouse, and the company's name written in a new font. While the photo asks more questions than it answers, we know that we're not looking at the electric crossover that the Toyota-owned company hinted at in December 2020 because the proportions don't match. And, we highly doubt it's the rugged, body-on-frame off-roader that's allegedly also in the works. We'll have to be patient to find out whether Lexus is planning to move away from the spindle-shaped grille that has characterized its cars for nearly a decade. Geneva's annual auto show was canceled for the second year in a row, but it should have opened its doors to the public and the press in early March 2021. Odds are the Lexus concept's online unveiling will coincide with (or at least fall very close to) the axed show's dates. Sato confirmed that Lexus will release a new car in 2021, though he didn't specify if it's related to the concept, or if it's merely inspired by it. He pledged to continue rolling out new additions to the range through 2022. Related video:

Lexus coupe caught in spy shots actually RC, headed for Tokyo reveal?

Lexus may have pulled a fast one on us. The car our spy shooters spotted yesterday may not, in fact, be an IS F Coupe as we indicated. Rather, the car shown above may be a new model, dubbed RC, that will arrive at this year's Tokyo Motor Show.
Following a report from Automotive News, the RC is believed to be a pure coupe, rather than a hardtop convertible. This gels with information provided on the IS sedan's launch, when Lexus spokespeople said the IS Convertible would remain on the current platform. With styling based on the LF-CC from the 2012 Paris show, the new car will share a rear-drive platform with the IS and GS sedans.
Power is expected to come from a 3.5-liter V6 that turns out 306 horsepower. That car will likely wear the RC 350 badge. A hybrid model is expected to follow, but in a twist, it won't be coming to the US. The big news, though, is that the RC will spawn an RC F.

Lexus GS production and sales halted in Europe

We last wrote about the Lexus GS one year ago to editorialize about the rumored death of the luxury brand's sports sedan. Now, Dutch outlet AutoRAI claims to have gotten confirmation from Lexus Europe that the automaker stopped taking orders for the GS in March, and will cease production of the Euro-spec model in April. In keeping with last year's speculation, AutoRAI reports the next-generation, front-wheel-drive ES will fill the role of the rear-wheel-drive GS there. What this means for the GS in the States? We sill don't know. But we do know that the ES moved 51,398 units here last year, compared to GS sales of 7,773. Those numbers represent double-digit declines compared to 2016, when the sold ES sold 51,398 units and the GS sold 14,878. In August 2017, spy photographers caught the 2019 ES testing with the Audi A6 and Mercedes-Benz E-Class, hinting the coming ES has grander aspirations than being a florid Toyota Avalon. That still wouldn't make the ES a pure replacement for a sporty rear-drive sedan, but are there enough GS buyers for Lexus to care? Last October, Car and Driver reported that Toyota's Gazoo Racing brand was working on a new GS F, but C/D couldn't tell if Gazoo meant a new model or the current one. Last June, Lexus Australia head Peter McGregor refuted the death of the GS. When asked if dealers were interested in both the ES and GS, McGregor responded, "I think what dealers like is a full line-up... that meets the market requirement in every key segment." Making clear that he couldn't speak on future product, McGregor also commented, "I think [a new GS] would still be a four-door sedan in terms of its application, but the exterior styling may appear to be more liftback." The third-gen GS struck a fastback profile, and you could see the new LS as a modern evolution of that old GS design. A member at the Lexus Enthusiast fan forum has found that the the next GS, internally codenamed 300B, still shows up in industry databases alongside the date "SOP [Start of Production] Q2 2019." Throwing money at an updated GS F wouldn't make sense for a doomed sedan. Could the GS reappear as a four-door coupe? Certainly, if for no other reason than that Lexus needs something to fill the slot between the $38,950 ES and the $75,000 LS.