Lexus To Forge New Image

The Lexus car company reckons that with its new LF-C luxury sports concept car, it will single-handedly change the prestige car playing field.

Bold words, to be sure - some would even say arrogant - but even the engineering gods at BMW and Mercedes wouldn't have predicted Lexus's amazing run to become the number one selling luxury vehicle in America and in many other countries.

Seen for the first time at the 2004 New York International Auto Show, the general manager for Lexus USA, Denny Clements, had this to say: "We've known for some time that if Lexus ever prioritised styling the way we have product quality and advanced technology, we would once again change the luxury car playing field.

"The LF-C is a stunning example of how Lexus will address the future and change it at the same time."

As the third new concept design that Lexus has shown within a year, the LF-C luxury sports coupe concept car and indeed the prototype LF series as a whole, have all been sculpted to define what will be an entirely new direction in styling for Lexus.

The next-gen IS 300 will borrow styling cues from the LF-C, which again hints at other upcoming vehicle designs for the burgeoning Japanese automaker.

Clements continued: "Design is among the most important differentiating factors between any two products and the LF-C expands the current IS 300 sport sedan into a new category previously not addressed in the Lexus lineup.

"The LF-C concept is designed to target an extremely young, affluent buyer with a strong element of surprise," said the Lexus head honcho.

Lexus new 2+2 coupe cabriolet comes with a rather sophisticated metal folding roof, one with 4-positions.

The unique hardtop design allows the car to transform itself at the touch of a button from a coupe to a convertible, to a targa or to a speedster, depending on the driver's mood or how tall occupants are.

The powered roof stows neatly into the boot through a surprisingly small rear-deck opening.

Styling for the new Lexus is eye-catching at first, and very sporty, which is where the marque will most likely take its entry-to-mid-level vehicles.

The athletic look is evidenced in the short front and rear overhangs, and the pronounced rear wheel arches in combination with the new brake lights give the car a very 350Z look.

Long, integrated lines simplify the form of the LF-C, while still giving it a sleek and modern look, and together with big fat alloy rims and hi-tech LED headlights, it certainly turned a few heads in New York.

"We used a combination of convex and concave surfaces to control the balance of light and shadow on the car which creates this beautiful contrast of having sharp lines within the sculpted exterior surfaces," said Kevin Hunter, vice president of Calty Design Research, which is one of Toyota's major vehicular design studios.

With the LF-C, Hunter stated that he intended to create an impression of "strength and softness at the same time" and this combination helped to create a desirable "air of mystery".

The Lexus LF-C is only slightly longer overall than the current IS 300, and as you can tell from the photos it sits quite low, some 50mm lower than its aforementioned forebear.

It's also nearly 127mm, or five inches wider than the 2004 model IS 300, which helps the LF-C seat four adults in comfort.

Though much of the reason for creating the LF-C was to showcase the Japanese luxury carmaker's future design direction, there was also mention of a high-output, front-mounted V8 engine with a 6-speed sequential automatic transmission.

Powering the rear wheels, Lexus wasn't forthcoming with exact details on the new V8 engine, but the 300kW (400bhp) figure has been bandied about by some.

The interior of the stylish Lexus concept communicates its performance pretensions with drive-by-wire steering, a Formula One inspired shifter and a steering wheel with the gauges stacked along the steering column axis, ascending toward the base of the windshield.

The transparent gauges actually look really good, with the needles moving around the dials, seemingly floating, rather than rotating from the center of the dial.

A dynamic and flowing center console runs the length of the interior (pictured left), while displays and controls are hidden beneath this transparent console surface that is multi-layered, creating a sophisticated, high-tech look and feel that intrigues just as much as the new exterior sheet metal.

The console is flanked on each side by arched, wing-like instrument panels situated quite low, and in front of the driver and passenger to create a feeling of openness, while the four individual bucket seats make use of slender shapes to add some well-measured elegance.

Launching its latest concept car in the US was a clever move by the Japanese marque, not only because America is the Lexus brand's biggest market, but also because the LF-C showcases many design areas that will make their way into production cars.

The four-position retractable hard top is an interesting idea, and with the IS models (IS 200, IS 300) reaching the end of their lives, Lexus is readying the troops for a shift in the way the company's cars look. And what you see on the page above is a very good indication of what this new design direction will bring into being.