Lexus LF-LC concept headed for Detroit

It's currently only a motor show tease, with no firm plan for production, but the Lexus LF-LC concept has the potential to become the next big thing for the Japanese brand and a major magnet for prestige car buyers.

Lexus already has its LFA supercar and the latest GS on the road, but the A-car is way too costly and the S-car is too mainstream. The LC - the letters stand for Lexus Coupe - is a truly great looking two-door coupe that could easily make the move onto the road. It sits in size between the IS and GS lines but Lexus insiders say it is much more sports focussed than a 3-Series BMW coupe.

It will be officially unveiled on January 9 at the Detroit motor show and Lexus says it sets the next design direction for the brand. Not surprisingly, it was styled in California and not in Japan.

“Crafted from a clean sheet of paper at the request of Lexus headquarters in Japan, the LF-LC blends both high technology and organic shapes to connect the driver to the machine,” says Mark Templin, Lexus group vice president and general manager.

“The clean lines of the vehicle emphasize motion, creating a distinctive look for this futuristic sport coupe.”

The LC could easily be a GS coupe but Lexus Australia says no. "It's not linked to any existing model," says Peter Evans, local spokesman. He admits the importance of the car but nothing more. "We'll all have to wait until the Detroit show. We cannot say anything until then."

The LC is much more aggressive than current Lexus production cars, although it does share the Darth Vader-style 'spindle grille' already seen on the GS. It's already getting a warm reception in Australia and the model expansion is likely to include a new hybrid, in addition to the GS250 price leader, with Lexus recently registering the GS300h tag for Australia.

And Lexus is not alone in pre-Detroit teases.

Nissan has now released a teaser side-on picture of the all-new Pathfinder it will reveal in motown ahead of production later in 2012.

But Hyundai is even more adventurous, and has provided a sneak peak of the i-oniq coupe it is reading for show duty, although not until the Geneva event in March.

So far it's only a sketch but Thomas Burkle, chief designer at Hyundai’s European research and design centre in Germany, says the concept previews “the next evolution of the brand’s ‘fluidic sculpture’ form language”.