TOKYO MOTOR SHOW: Lexus RC coupe confirmed for Australia
Lexus coupe is expected to arrive before the end of 2014With the covers officially removed from the RC coupe this morning in Tokyo, Lexus Australia has been able to do what it couldn’t do for political reasons less than 48 hours ago – officially confirm the sexy two-door is headed to Australia.
And if all goes according to plan, the car intended to reset the handling standard and desirability of mainstream Lexus models and go head to head with the Audi A5, BMW 4 Series and Mercedes-Benz C-Class will land in late 2014.
But just how many drivetrains, what pricing and what equipment the RC – short for Radical Coupe – will be equipped with remains to be seen.
Lexus Australia officially has a choice of two drivetrains, both identical to the IS compact and GS large sedans; a dual injection 236kW/380Nm RC 350 naturally-aspirated V6 and a 2.5-litre four-cylinder 162kW/221Nm RC 300h petrol-electric hybrid.
No acceleration or fuel economy figures were released today.
The RC 350 mates to an eight-speed auto with paddle shifters and the 300h to a CVT with six programmed steps operated by a sequential shifter. All-wheel drive will be available in some markets but Australia will only take rear-wheel drive.
Further out there is the prospect of a version employing the new ‘200t’ four-cylinder petrol-turbo engine which also debuted today, while a high performance V8 5.0-litre RC F is expected to be shown at the Detroit auto show next January.
Lexus Australia chief executive Sean Hanley wasn’t acknowledging the potential existence of these two drivetrains, instead saying that getting supply of the hybrid model would prove a challenge.
“Lexus Australia has typically taken the available drivetrains but at this stage what will determine the hybrid is production availability,” he said. “So we are negotiating drivetrains at launch as we speak.”
“The RC gives us another model that adds excitement to our model lineup,” he added. “RC to me represents a brand changer. For us this car represents incremental sales volume no doubt, but for us it’s more about what it does for the brand.”
The RC is based on a derivative of the same architecture as IS and GS. It rolls on a wheelbase 70mm shorter than the compact IS sedan at 2730mm, sits on a track the same 1840mm width as the GS and has an overall body length 30mm shorter than the IS at 4695mm.
The RC is also 30mm wider and 35mm lower than the IS, emphasising its sporting intent. As do L-shaped headlights front and rear and the widest and lowest use of the spindle grille yet.
Inside there is a purpose-developed lighting system, genuine wood highlights and a new Remote Touch Interface for control of navigation and audio. The RC is also the first Lexus to feature an improved Blind Spot Monitoring system which detects vehicles approaching from a higher speed and greater distance.
The RC employs a sports-tuned version of the GS’s front double wishbone and rear multi-link suspension and rolls on a choice of 18-inch or 19-inch wheels, the latter wrapped in 255/35R19 front and 275/35R19 rear rubber.
Kerb weights were not announced but chief engineer Junichi Furyama confirmed to motoring.com.au that it was slightly heavier than IS because of additional body bracing that aided handling and prepared the car for conversion to a possible RC convertible.
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