The Lexus LF-CC offers a hint of a future premium midsize coupe hybrid to come from Lexus.
Lexus will unveil an all-new hybrid sports coupe at the upcoming Paris Motor Show, a rear-drive 2+2 that may offer some hints of the additional models the maker plans to add to its luxury line-up.
The Lexus LF-CC will target the premium midsize coupe segment, the Toyota luxury brand reveals. And as these initial images underscore, the new concept model will lift some of its key design cues from the well-reviewed Lexus LF-LC supercar concept that was introduced at the Detroit Motor Show last January.
Lexus “is absolutely dedicated to hybrids,” the brand’s U.S. boss, Mark Templin, stressed in an interview with TheDetroitBureau.com last month. By mid-decade, he promised, the brand will have eight, possibly even nine, gas-electric offerings in its line-up. Some of those will be dedicated models, like the HS 250h. Others will be hybrid options, such as the LS 600h package offered on the maker’s newly updated flagship sedan. A hybrid supercar is very much under consideration, hinted Templin.
The LF-CC concept pairs a 2.5-liter Atkinson cycle I-4 with a water-cooled electric motor.
(For more on the Lexus hybrid strategy, Click Here.)
Whether the LF-CC will become one of those models remains to be seen but unlike some show cars the concept coming to Paris has the sort of polished details that suggest it could be testing the waters for a planned production model.
Targeting the midsize, or D-, segment, the LF-CC boasts the latest iteration of the Lexus L-finesse design language – starting with the increasingly familiar “spindle” grille, here framed by the lip of the hood and, below, by a deep lower spoiler, the grille mesh itself encased in a metal-finish surround giving the nose a sculpted appearance. Narrow headlamps feature an unusual 3 LED-projector design with separate Daytime Running Lights integrated into the bumper surface.
The overall design was carefully tailored to maximize aerodynamics, according to Lexus, the lower fenders meant to manage air flow to both the engine and front brakes. The rear fenders are notably less pronounced than those up front.
The Lexus LF-CC body was carefully sculpted to maximize aerodynamics.
Like both the LF-LC concept and the LFA production supercar, airflow has been carefully managed underneath the vehicle, as well to maximize downforce. Sculpted fins flow from underneath the LF-CC and upwards through the wheel arches to merge with the falling roofline – creating a large rear spoiler.
Unlike previous dedicated hybrid models that suffered from a bit of the wimp factor, the Lexus LF-CC appears to aimed at presenting a strong and aggressive stance.
The show car is finished in what Lexus calls a “Fluid Titanium” paint, a high-gloss metallic finish that helps emphasize the body’s form.
Inside, the Lexus LF-CC follows the brand’s HMI, or Human Machine Interface, design philosophy, with the instrument panel divided into an upper “Display Zone,” including a large multi-display screen, and a lower “Operation Zone” for various knobs and switches, as well as what Lexus promises is a “uniquely designed shift lever and an innovative touch tracer display for remote system control.”
The LF-CC's nose shares the "spindle" grille of this year's other Lexus concept, the LF-LC.
Contrasting the cool Fluid Titanium exterior, the cabin is trimmed in warmer amber leather with metallic accents.
Under the skin, the Lexus LF-CC is powered by a 2.5-liter inline-four gas engine pairs single, high-output, water-cooled electric motor. The maker is holding back specific details such as horsepower and torque, as well as specifics on the battery system used, until Paris. But while a news release refers to the Lexus Hybrid Drive system it also hints at the possibility that this is a different drivetrain package than has been in use in such model as the dedicated HS 250h hybrid and the new Lexus LS 600h flagship.
The Japanese maker does note that the LF-CC’s CO2 emissions are “targeted below 100 g/km,” or grams per kilometer. It adds that the “powertrain will achieve class-leading energy efficiency, with more than 2 hp produced per gram of CO2.” A quick bit of math might suggest that translates into something in the 200 hp range.