Global Debut of All-New Lexus LC 500 at the 2016 NAIAS Signals Dawn of a New Era for Lexus +VIDEO
 LC 500 |
The past five years have seen Lexus evolve rapidly with the creation of the luxury brand’s globally-focused organization, Lexus International. Exciting new models involving elevated levels of emotional styling and dynamic driving characteristics such as NX, RC, and IS have also helped Lexus’ brand shift with consumers. Akio Toyoda has been at the center of the Lexus global expansion, personally driving a heightened level of collaboration among design, engineering and marketing teams to help build a luxury brand better suited to meet the needs of the next generation of consumers.
“The LC 500 has been an important product for Lexus and me personally,” said Akio Toyoda, Chief Branding Officer and Master Driver for Lexus. “A few years ago, we decided to guide the future of the brand with products that had more passion and distinction in the luxury market. This flagship luxury coupe’s proportions, stunning design and performance make a strong statement about our brand’s emotional direction and will grow the Lexus luxury appeal globally.”
Design and Engineering Teams United
Beyond its styling and impactful performance, the new LC 500 serves as a symbol of the achievement that can result from heightened collaboration between design and engineering groups and their commitment to help overcome each other’s hurdles. When Akio Toyoda challenged these development groups to produce this special car, it meant surpassing many manufacturing, design, material, and dynamic obstacles that could typically compromise a vehicle’s targets or design vision.
The LC 500 was driven by a strong, appealing fundamental design
target (LF-LC), and engineering teams worked tirelessly to find new
solutions to maintain as much of the concept in the production car as
possible. Likewise, vehicle designers were very involved from the earliest
stages of the dynamic development process to understand the engineering
targets and collaborate with design viewpoints and potential solutions.
With LC 500, additional levels of prototype vehicle build also allowed both
teams to better study design or engineering ideas and refine key elements.
For Lexus, the LC 500 project became much more than simply the development
of a new coupe. The LC 500, with the shift in engineering processes and
design ideologies it represents, symbolizes the beginning of a new phase
for the Lexus brand.
“Design and engineering sides worked
together on issues and obstacles that were overcome one by one. I feel we
achieved something greater than simply preserving the spirit of the
concept’s design,” said Chief Engineer Koji
Sato.
Exterior Design
At first
glance, it becomes apparent that the engineering and design team’s
collaboration was highly successful, considering how much of the
LF-LC’s design ideology the team was able to transfer into the new LC
500. The new production model shares many of the key design elements,
proportions and visual dynamism of the concept car that inspired it. The LC
500’s visual appeal is defined by an athletic aerodynamic shape. It
features sensual curves, emotional forms, an available flowing carbon-fiber
roof (glass roof standard), helping create a low, wide imposing stance that
comes together for a highly functional, passionate package.
The LC
500’s front fascia features a powerful interpretation of Lexus’
distinctive grille, bordered by chrome on three sides and a radical new 3D
mesh design that varies its visual tension. The “L”-shaped
daytime running lights rest below a new Triple LED headlamp unit, specially
designed to include one of the industry’s thinnest projectors
enabling a low hood with a short front overhang. Functional venting also
plays into the LC 500’s exterior design to help improve aerodynamic
stability and cooling. The car’s athletic profile is characterized by
its fast, sloped roofline, its wind-cutting silhouette, a long 2,870 mm
(113 inches) wheelbase with compact front 920 mm ( 36.2 inches) and rear
970 mm ( 38.2 inches) overhangs and low hood height. The sexy curves and
flowing lines maintain a consistent tension in sheetmetal through to the
rear end that features slimly designed, multi-layered tail lamps with a
unique lighting effect that helps convey a sequential L motif. A rear
diffuser and available active rear spoiler also help manage airflow during
performance driving. It rides on machined cast aluminum 20-in. or available
21-in. forged aluminum wheels.
Interior
Design
The interior design of the LC 500 is influenced by the
dynamic luxury theme of the exterior with a layout that is both
cockpit-focused and elegant. The coupe’s driving position was
calibrated to invite spirited, sporting driving, and help develop easier
confidence with a more intuitive control layout. In fact, for LC 500, the
driver’s hip point was engineered to be as close as possible to the
vehicle’s Cg (Center of gravity) where feedback from the car is the
most communicative to the driver. The front seats offer excellent support
and comfort for long drives while available sport seats offer additional
bolstering and lateral support during cornering. Lexus engineers put
considerable effort into creating an engaging yet seductive atmosphere for
the driver, focusing on details such as the size and angle of the steering
wheel, the feel and positioning of magnesium alloy paddle shifters, and
available supple leather and Alcantara seating surfaces. The LC 500’s
exquisite door panels, center console and dash pad structures feature
elements of Lexus’ world-renowned, detail-obsessed Takumi
craftsmanship in their finish.
“At an early stage, the
designers collaborated with the engineers to understand their image for the
LC 500’s driving dynamics, and they incorporated this into the
design,” said Tadao Mori, the chief designer of the LC 500.
“For example, we gave serious consideration to where the
driver’s eyes would focus, and designed the surface shape in that
area to help support a driver’s mindset. This project was one of the
first times that designers were closely involved in the dynamic engineering
development so we could understand the driving goals and support with the
car’s design.”
Chassis
In
helping to drive the future of the Lexus brand, the mission for LC 500 is
to offer a dynamic driving experience and character unlike any Lexus
vehicle prior to it. The pursuit of a sharper, more refined driving
experience became the mission for the development team who also sought to
maintain a superior Lexus ride quality befitting a flagship luxury sport
coupe.
The LC 500 is the first Lexus to use the
brand’s all-new, premium rear-wheel-drive luxury platform and is part
of the new corporate global architecture for luxury vehicles (GA-L). The
underpinnings of this new coupe will become the blueprint for the
company’s future front-engine/rear-wheel-drive vehicles. In an effort
to sharpen the car’s handling, the LC 500’s engineers focused
on the platform’s fundamentals by placing most of the mass, including
the engine and the occupants, in a position more centralized and lower in
the chassis to improve the center of gravity.
Internally, Lexus
engineers referred to this menu of mass-arranging tactics as the
“inertia spec.” The driver hip and heel points have been
lowered, wheels have been pushed to the corners of the car with shortened
overhangs, and the drivetrain mass has been located behind the front axle
line to create a front mid-ship layout. The LC 500 also relies on run-flat
tires to improve packaging, reduce weight (thanks to no spare), and help
shorten overhangs to achieve dynamic targets. The 12-volt battery has been
relocated to the trunk as part of the mission to redistribute weight.
Other mass management measures include the available carbon fiber
roof, aluminum door skins mounted to the carbon fiber door inner structure,
and a composite trunk floor. The LC 500 also represents the Lexus
brand’s most intensive use of high-strength steel. This provides
enhanced rigidity while reducing—and ideally
positioning—vehicle mass to optimize dynamics. As a result, the LC
500 is very balanced with a nearly ideal front/rear weight distribution of
52/48.
To help achieve the level of chassis performance targeted
for this new coupe, Lexus engineered the stiffest unibody the brand has
ever produced. For LC 500, the strategic use of lightweight, high-strength
steel helps make for a high degree of torsional rigidity that is more
resistant to twisting forces than the exotic, carbon fiber-intensive LFA
supercar. The platform design maintains a consistent level of resistance to
flexural forces and stiffness across the vehicle’s wheelbase to help
create consistent, predictable handling behavior and sharper steering
responses. Special braces in the engine compartment (usually a more
twist-prone part of the chassis), the adoption of stiff aluminum front
suspension towers, and the addition of a ring structure near the rear
fenders are all measures that help further bolster the strength of key
chassis structures.
Particular attention was devoted to the LC
500’s multilink suspension system. Double ball joints on the upper
and lower control arms allow for control of the smallest movements from the
driver inputs and road conditions. Beyond sharing workload, a dual ball
joint arrangement helps optimize suspension geometry to increase wheel
control and create a more precise steering response with better initial
effort. To help reduce unsprung mass and improve suspension response, all
but one of the control arms are made of lightweight forged aluminum.
Providing the grip on the show prototype car are concept versions of
Michelin Pilot Sport tires with Premium Touch® sidewall technology:
245/40RF21 up front and 275/35RF21 at the rear. When all the handling
elements come together, LC 500 becomes a world-class luxury sports coupe
that exhibits razor-sharp reflexes, exceptional handling balance and
rock-solid stability. This all-new platform will continue to undergo
continuous improvement and enhancement throughout the vehicle’s
lifecycle.
Said Sato: “We spent more than triple the
usual amount of R&D time to pursue linear steering and to find the
sweet spot for road contact feel. We also focused our efforts on suspension
rigidity and enhancing geometry. Thanks to advancements in product
engineering, we are now at a world-class level for suspension rigidity, and
performance when lateral g’s are applied.”
Drivetrain
The power delivery to the rear wheels for
LC 500 is handled by a new, very well matched set of components that
maximize output to the wheels. The heart of the new LC 500 is derived from
the proven, high-revving 5.0-liter V8 that is found in the RC F and GS F.
The naturally aspirated V8 was selected for its smooth, linear throttle
response and emotional engine sound. The all-aluminum, 32-valve V8’s
output targets 467 HP and 389 lb.-ft. of torque. The new engine is built
for durability with lightweight, high-strength forged connecting rods and
titanium valves that allow the engine to flourish at high rpm. This
naturally aspirated engine makes an ideal pairing to a balanced sports
coupe with its linear power delivery that allows easier control and
exhilaration behind the wheel.
The engine in the LC 500 uses
a dual intake inlet that help improve breathing and allow the engine to
produce its fantastic sound. The new coupe features an active exhaust that
opens baffles in Sport mode to help give the car a more aggressive exhaust
note even in start-up. In fact, even when the vehicle is in Normal mode the
exhaust baffles open above 3500 rpm. During acceleration, a Sound Generator
involving tuned acoustic plumbing enhances the engine’s raucous
melody into an aural thunder that helps distinguish the LC 500 in its
competitive segment.
Helping power transfer to the rear wheels is
a newly developed 10-speed automatic transmission—the first ever in a
luxury automobile—with shift times rivaling those of a dual-clutch
transmission. The component is smaller and lighter than some current
8-speed transmissions. The wide bandwidth of shifting afforded by 10
closely spaced gears is ideal for all forms of driving, providing an
optimal gear in all conditions. This transmission is matched to a new
electric control system with software that helps anticipate the
driver’s inputs by monitoring acceleration, braking and lateral g
forces.
The new transmission is just one key element in a vehicle
that has had all of its dynamic control elements such as power application,
braking, and steering tuned to operate rhythmically in sport driving
conditions. Drivers will feel the controlled balance between the quick,
smooth shifting actions, the application of linear engine power, and the
deceleration afforded by 6-piston front brake calipers (4-piston at
rear).
All of the platform and drivetrain engineering helped endow
the LC 500 with performance and agility uncommon for a four-person coupe;
the vehicle targets a 0 to 60 mph time of less than 4.5 seconds.
Interior Electronics
This flagship coupe
will debut the 2017 Lexus Multimedia package that will feature updated,
faster, more flexible software enabling future enhancements and a more
inviting graphic user interface. Occupants also will be treated to an
exceptional audio experience inside the cabin: in addition to the available
audiophile-worthy Mark Levinson audio package, a new premium Pioneer audio
system comes as standard equipment. Pioneer’s sound engineers worked
in collaboration with LC 500 body and cabin designers to enhance interior
sound performance within the cabin, studying the acoustic environment and
driving structural changes to enhance sound performance.
The LC
500 also will boast Lexus’ renowned safety technology, Lexus Safety
System + , which integrates several of Lexus's active safety
technologies: an All-speed Dynamic Radar Cruise Control (All-speed DRCC)
that relieves stop-and-go traffic stress, the Pre-Collision System (PCS)
helps prevent and mitigate collisions; Lane Keep Assist (LKA) helps prevent
vehicles from departing from their lanes; and Automatic High Beam
(AHB) that helps ensure optimal forward visibility during nighttime
driving.
These technologies are part of a multi-faceted
approach to active safety, the Lexus Safety System + package, and combines
millimeter-wave radar with a camera to help achieve a high level of system
reliability and performance.
*Spec and equipment might differ by
market
Specifications
| LC 500 | |
| Horsepower | 467 HP@7,100 (redline 7,300 rpm) |
| Torque | 389 lb-ft@4,800 |
| Transmission | 10 speed Automatic |
| Seating Capacity | 4 |
| Overall Length | 4,760 mm (187.4 inches) |
| Width | 1,920 mm (75.6 inches) |
| Height | 1,345 mm (53 inches) |
| Wheelbase | 2,870 mm (113 inches) |
| Layout | Front engine, Rear Wheel Drive |
| Fr/Rr Overhang | Fr: 920 mm (36.2 inches), Rr: 970 mm (38.2 inches) |
| Wheel size (front and rear) | 1. 21 inches (forged aluminum -
available) 2. 20 inches (forged aluminum - available) 3. 20 inches (cast aluminum - standard) |
| Tires size |
|
| 0 – 60 mph | Under 4.5 seconds |