Hot News: Lexus SC Replacement to be Called LC?

Lexus is said to be hard at work on a new model tentatively called the LC600h, slated to be the replacement for the recently discontinued SC 430. The LC will reportedly employ a shortened version of the next-generation LS platform as well as an updated version of the 5.0-liter V-8 hybrid system from the LS600h L, and all-wheel drive.

Like the outgoing SC, we hear the LC is also being developed as a convertible with a retractable metal roof. Expected to outperform its European competitors, the LC600h will reportedly generate some 500 horsepower and sprint from 0 to 60 mph less than five seconds. According to a Lexus insider, the company sees the new LC as the car that most captures the essence of what Lexus is all about -- performance, luxury, and the environment -- more than any Lexus model to date. It's an upscale configuration that should elevate the car to a status rivaling the Mercedes SL-Class. That's something the SC, with its unloved style and powertrain, was never able to accomplish.

Currently being developed in the shadows of the next LS, our contact tells us not to expect the LC before its four-door LS brother hits showrooms in 2014. "If we don't get anymore nasty surprises on the economic front, then any time after 2015 might be the right time for the LC."
Thanks to: Motor Trend