BMW i8, Mercedes SLS-AMG E-Cell, Audi R8 E-tron, Tesla Roadster, Porsche 918 Hybrid and the new Honda NSX. They’re all future-thinking cars with super styling, high-performance figures and alternative-energy powerplants.
Let’s look at another: the Lexus LF-LC. Hot on the heels of its very hard, very popular, very limited-edition LFA supercar, Lexus has put its V10 engine to one side and introduced a new hybrid-powered sports concept.
The LFA’s influence is obvious in the LF-LC’s styling, with its traditional coupe profile, subtle character lines, deep vents, and a new evolution of the brand’s “L-Finesse” styling language. Like the original LF-A concept, this new concept features extravagantly-styled and hand-crafted headlights and taillights, a sumptuous leather-wrapped interior and, unique to the LF-LC, a new take on the brand’s “Spindle” grille design.
Lexus revealed the LF-LC at this week’s Detroit Auto Show, and while it has confirmed that there’s a hybrid system buried beneath the svelte red bodywork, it has yet to give up any technical details. It’s rumored that the LF-LC may be headed for production in the near future. A production version LF-LC would be built on a shortened version of the next Lexus LS chassis, and have a plug-in hybrid drivetrain. The car may be called the LC 600h and go on sale in 2015.
