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Lexus GX has quietly more than doubled its sales this year

There are some things in this industry that we're perplexed by, like the infotainment system on our long-term Subaru WRX or why the Mitsubishi Mirage is allowed to exist, among other things. Let's add one more to that group, with the Lexus GX. It's not a particularly bad vehicle for a big, body-on-frame brute, remaining one of the only true SUVs in the mid-size luxury class, alongside the equally old fashioned Land Rover LR4.
Considering these things, then, what we're about to tell you makes very little sense - sales are up 135 percent through last month. The Japanese luxury marque has moved over 5,300 during the first six months of 2014, owing in no small part to a significant price drop over the 2013 model. Today, a GX starts at $49,085, while a year ago, it was $53,445.
Don't mistake this price decrease for charity, though. Lexus specifically built a lower-cost GX to lure in customers. According to WardsAuto, faux leather covers the cabin rather than the real stuff, while the overall package is decontented relative to what you might find in a typical Lexus.

Lexus nixes RC convertible in favor of LS-based 3-row crossover [w/poll]

When Lexus unveiled the LF-C2 concept at the LA Auto Show last week, it did two things: it previewed the direction in which the Japanese luxury automaker's design department was looking for the immediate future, and it previewed a cabrio version of the RC coupe (to replace the IS Convertible) on the other. But the latter, according to new reports, was ruled out before the concept ever took the stage. Although the prospect of a convertible version was engineered right into the RC coupe's chassis, Motor Trend reports that plans to put such a vehicle into production were met with hostility by Lexus dealers, who were offered a two-door convertible instead of the three-row crossover they've been lobbying for. As a result – and with a finite amount of development bucks on hand – Lexus is reportedly listening to its dealers, axing the RC Convertible program and proceeding instead with a seven-seat crossover. Plans to stretch the RX were reportedly ruled out, so Toyota is reportedly proceeding instead with a new model to be based on the LS sedan. The new model would take aim at the likes of the Mercedes GL, Audi Q7 and Infiniti QX60 when it arrives in three years as a 2018 model. It's not the first time we've seen Toyota listen to dealers asking for a high-end people-mover: Earlier this year, dealers in Japan asked the automaker for a luxed-out minivan, prompting it to build the Esquire van just for the Japanese Domestic Market.

2015 Lexus RC F leaked out ahead of upcoming debut?

Lexus has had a somewhat volatile relationship with coupes. The first-gen SC gave way to the bloated second-gen convertible, which itself went out of production three years ago. The LFA arrived the same year the SC departed, but awesome as it was, it's six-figure price tag and limited production put it well out of reach even for the brand's typical upscale customers. That left only the IS Convertible to hold down the two-door end of the lineup, but Lexus is keen to fill that void with the arrival of the upcoming RC.
Oft been spied and speculated, the RC has reportedly leaked out from Japan's Best Car magazine in tantalizing RC F spec - although with the increasing quality of renderings (and the graininess of the photos in question), we could be looking at an artist's impression. That will upgrade the base coupe's anticipated 3.5-liter V6 and 306 horsepower with a 5.0-liter V8 churning out 455 hp, along with more aggressive styling previewed by the LF-CC concept.
Signs point toward the RC serving as the coupe counterpart to the IS, while the IS Convertible is expected to carry on (either in current or facelifted form) on the outgoing model's platform. Look for a reveal at either the Tokyo Motor Show in November or the Detroit Auto Show in December.