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Lexus RC 350 F Sport ready to take on Europe's coupes

Rumbling into the slot between the Lexus RC 350 Sport Coupe and the RC F is this, the RC 350 F Sport. Debuting at the Geneva Motor Show next week, the intergalactic malevolence of that spindle grille is given further aggression with a mesh treatment and 19-inch F Sport mesh wheels in dark metallic. Traditionally, F Sport models have also brandished unique fascias, but the standard RC is so visually aggressive to begin with, it still ought to throw quite a scare into rivals like the BMW 4 Series M Sport.
Bigger identifiers come in the cabin and under the skin, foremost being the redrum-reminiscent Rioja Red leather treatment and Silver Performance trim, perforated leather wrapped 'round the steering wheel and a moving center ring in the dash cluster inspired by the LFA. When the coupe is put into Sport+ mode, the included adaptive damping will kick in, and buyers can optionally order the four-wheel steering system when the car goes on sale in the US this fall.
There's a press release with info and specs below, a high-res gallery above and a bright lights, big city introduction on March 4 in Geneva.

Toyota's car subscription service rewards you for safe driving

Toyota has teamed up with Sumitomo Mitsui Auto Service Company to launch a new car subscription service with gamification elements in Japan. The program is called Kinto, and it'll offer two tiers: the first, called Kinto One, will allow you to drive one Toyota vehicle over a three-year period for anywhere between $420 and $900 a month. When the tier becomes available on March 1st, you can choose from the available Prius, Corolla Sport, Alphard, Vellfire and Crown models. The other tier called Kinto Select will give you the power to drive one of the available Lexus-branded vehicles for $1,630 a month for three years. Now, what truly makes Kinto potentially more interesting than other leasing services is a rewards program that awards points based on how well you drive. Toyota didn't really expound on how it will work, other than saying that it will "award points to customers based on their vehicle usage (such as for safe or ecological driving)." As TechCrunch notes, the assumption is that the vehicle's in-car connected system will come with the ability to monitor your driving. Best thing about it is that the points you earn aren't useless rewards you can't even use: you'll be able to apply them toward payments. Kinto's Select option will be available starting on February 6th, almost a full month before the more affordable Kinto One launches. Both will be available via select dealers in Tokyo on a trial basis, and they won't officially roll out across Japan until summer. The points program won't be available until fall, when Kinto One's options will also expand. Unfortunately, there's no word on whether Kinto will eventually roll out in the US and other markets outside Toyota's home nation.For more information on Vehicle Subscription Services, check out the Complete Guide.Reporting by Mariella Moon for Engadget.Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Lexus teases F version of LC luxury coupe

We at Autoblog adore the Lexus LC. It's a truly spectacular grand tourer with concept car looks and your choice of either one of the best modern V8s or a sophisticated hybrid. But it seems Lexus thinks it can do even more with the LC, as indicated by this Instagram teaser of what seems to be an LC in front of the F logo of the Lexus performance brand. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. We're pretty confident it's the LC. It's definitely a coupe, and the only other Lexus coupe, the RC, already has a full-blown F variant. And while there's not much that we can make out, there do appear to be some styling tweaks, such as a big center bulge in the hood like on the RC F and IS 500. The question of course is whether this will be another maximum-performance F model, or if it will be something more focused on some style and mild upgrades such as an F-Sport trim. If it's a full LC F, expect significant suspension and brake upgrades, as well as some kind of power improvement. The thing is, the LC 500 already features effectively the most powerful V8 Lexus has on offer, the 471-horsepower 5.0-liter V8. Rumors have said Lexus may have a high-output version of the twin-turbo V6 from the LS in development, with potentially more than 600 horsepower, which would also be used for an LS F. Certainly the caption, "Highest expression of performance," suggests it could be something pretty serious. If it's an LC F-Sport, it will likely be a suspension and styling package, leaving the 5.0-liter V8 unchanged. Expect front and rear spoilers, stiffer springs and such. It might even be offered with the hybrid. Whether any of this is ideal for the LC is of course up for debate. Many of us on staff feel that the LC 500 is about perfect as a grand tourer, and something unique in a market full of ever-more extreme luxury sports cars. But we're also not the ones buying LCs, and luxury buyers like to be able to say they got the version of a car with the most or the best, whether or not that necessarily suits the car. But hey, we've loved other F models in the past, like the RC F and GS F, so an LC F could be pretty awesome, too. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. 2021 Lexus LC 500 Convertible Walkaround