Lexus Launches All-new 'RC' Sports Coupe in Japan

Tokyo, October 23, 2014－Lexus' all-new sports coupe, the "RC", went on sale today in Japan, with prices¹ ranging from 5,650,000 yen to 6,780,000 yen, including consumption tax. Lexus aims to sell 80 units per month here.

Combined with an avant-garde, alluring design that evokes sports coupe sleekness and agility, the RC delivers the exhilarating drive of a Lexus and performance that inspires a passion for driving.

With an avant-garde coupe design, the RC's exterior combines the flowing lines of a coupe with dynamic proportions that display a continuous sense of unity from the front, through the cabin, to the rear. The wide and low front profile centers on the characteristic Lexus spindle grille, and overhanging wheel flares give the wheels presence, conveying the RC's agile driving performance. The L-shaped LED lamps at the front and rear augment the coupe's impressive appearance.

The interior features continuously overlapping design elements, with the shape of the door trim mirroring that of the console lid, and with metal and synthetic leather accents incorporated throughout for a deeply elegant design. For the first time, Lexus has also used ambient lighting directed upward from behind the door trim ornament panel. This use of indirect lighting creates an elegant interior space, with high-quality gradient brightness that adjusts to driving conditions.

The RC is available in ten body colors, including the new vibrant and deep Radiant Red Contrast Layering.

The RC comes with a reinforced frame with a large cross-section rocker panel and other components to achieve a high-rigidity body. In addition to laser screw welding and structural adhesive, it uses high-rigidity glass adhesive and other technologies for a sporty driving experience coupled with the riding comfort of a luxury coupe. With the inclusion of a flat underbody and aero-stabilizing fins, the RC employs aerodynamic control that uses airflow to achieve vehicle stability and deliver excellent steering stability.

The RC also offers responsive cornering through the agile handling enabled by its suspension and steering systems, plus brake handling enabling delicate speed control. With the addition of the Navigation/Artificial Intelligence-Adaptive Variable Suspension (NAVI/AI-AVS) system, ride comfort and stability are improved, while excellent cornering performance is achieved by beginning damping control ahead of the turn in response to information received through the navigation system.

Continuing the heritage of Lexus sports cars, the RC comes with an "F Sport" version. Exclusive features include a new "F" mesh pattern in the spindle grille, and a sliding LCD meter ring. With a Lexus Dynamic Handling system² providing combined control of the Variable Gear Ratio Steering, Electric Power Steering and Dynamic Rear Steering systems, the F Sport delivers excellent steering response and stability in a wide range of usage scenarios.

The RC 350 uses a V6 3.5-liter engine that delivers light but powerful acceleration across the full range. While maintaining smooth acceleration and a comfortable ride, the 8-Speed Sport Direct Shift automatic transmission provides truly enjoyable sports driving with the feel of a manual drive by achieving gear changes that take as little as 0.2 seconds while in the M position. The V6 engine delivers an exhilarating sound, with the muffler producing a deep, solid pitch when starting off, while the sound generator produces a lively high rpm pitch as engine speed rises with acceleration.

The hybrid powertrain of the RC 300h features a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine equipped with next-generation D-4S³ fuel injection technology to achieve both high fuel efficiency and high output. While the RC achieves fuel efficiency of 23.2 km/L under the Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism's JC08 test cycle, it also offers a sporty drive through delicate control of engine speed.

The RC uses an evolved Blind Spot Monitor system that monitors any vehicles to the rear that are difficult to see with the door mirrors, plus an area in adjacent lanes of up to about 60 meters to the rear, and then notifies the driver of any rapidly approaching vehicles. When reversing out of a car park, the system's radar detects vehicles approaching from the rear left or right, and the Rear Cross Traffic Alert⁴ system then notifies the driver via an audio alert and flashing indicator in the door mirror.

Other advanced safety features include the Pre-Collision System with millimeter-wave radar that detects vehicles or obstacles ahead on the road; Lane Departure Alert that detects any deviation from the lane and alerts the driver with an audio alert and flashing dashboard icon; and Automatic High Beam⁵ that assesses the brightness of surrounding lights while driving at night, and automatically switches from low beams to high beams as necessary.

One of the key comfort-enhancing features of the RC is a one-touch walk-in seat feature for the front seat, which automatically moves the seat to a position that enables easy access into the rear seat when a lever is operated to fold the front seat forward.

The RC will be at http://www.lexus-int.com/models/RC/.