Could the 'Year of Lexus' include a hybrid sports car?
2012 is a big year for Lexus. The Japanese luxury carmaker is getting nine new or refreshed models during it. In fact, it's such a big year that Bob Carter, senior vice president of Toyota, has dubbed 2012 "The Year of Lexus." Big entries include the new Lexus ES and ES Hybrid, Lexus GS and GS Hybrid and the refreshed Lexus LX.
That leaves a few more models to be unveiled, and one could be a hybrid halo sports coupe. During a recent at J.P. Morgan Auto Conference, Carter said the Lexus LF-LC concept vehicle, which was unveiled at the 2012 Detroit auto show, is getting a great reception from the public. While Carter didn't explicitly say the model would make it to production, he intimated that something like the concept could get the green light. Here's an excerpt of Carter's speech:
"[The Lexus LF-LC] is just a concept now, but it's has received a fantastic reception from the public, so stay tuned."
OK, so there's not much to go off of, but Lexus still has a few more cars to show off to reach their nine-model goal for the year.
The Lexus LF-LC is a sleek, futuristic front-engine, rear-wheel-drive coupe paired with Toyota's hybrid drive system. Most of the major elements found within the cabin like the multimedia system and the components under the hood are already in production in some form on other Lexus models.