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2015 Lexus RC 350 F Sport snarls in Switzerland with darkened demeanor

Lexus is finally ready to return to the coupe market with the new RC, and while we already saw it in Detroit, it brought the new RC 350 F Sport version for the Geneva Motor Show.
The car packs 306 horsepower and 277 pound-feet from its 3.5-liter V6 and is meant to sit between the standard RC 350 Sport Coupe and the full bore RC F.
Most obvious when you glimpse the coupe is the more aggressive spindle grille with a new mesh treatment and dark, 19-inch F Sport wheels. The interior also receives a host of upgrades with Rioja Red leather and Silver Performance trim, plus perforated leather trim on the steering wheel and shift knob. There is a bit of LFA inspiration as well with the F Sport getting its moving center ring instrument display. It is not all about better style though because the coupe also gets adaptive dampers and an optional four-wheel steering system.

Here We Go Again: Lexus attacks EVs in new ad [UPDATE]

UPDATE: We got a comment from founding member of Plug In America Paul Scott on this ad. It's available below. The last time Lexus attacked plug-in battery vehicles in an ad, it had to apologize. The company is remaining on message, though, and has revisited a hybrid-vehicle advertising campaign that implies that driving a battery-electric vehicle is a big waste of time, because of all the charging you need to do. With the new spot, Lexus once again raised hackles of plug-in vehicle advocates because, once again, the accuracy is questioned. "The ad's message was that a consumer could [drive] a vehicle with advanced technology today, without sacrifice or change in habit." – Lexus spokesman Brian Bolain Lexus is running print ads (click to enlarge) in publications like Wired poking fun at EVs, the International Business Times says. Lexus highlights range anxiety in the spot, comparing the amount of time it takes to fully recharge an EV – and the idea that air conditioning and using the radio can shorten an EV's range – to the fun of just driving a Lexus. "The [print] ad was merely intended to paint a picture of life with a hybrid, which is basically no different from life with a traditional gas-powered vehicle, versus life with an EV, which can have challenges or at least uncertainties," Lexus spokesman Brian Bolain told AutoblogGreen. "In other words, at its core, the ad's message was that a consumer could participate in driving a vehicle with advanced technology today, without sacrifice or change in habit." The campaign picks up where Lexus's previous anti-EV campaign left off this spring. A website promoting Lexus's hybrids (and parent company Toyota's H2 vehicles) claimed that there was a hydrogen refueling infrastructure set up in 20 US states (not anywhere close to true). Plug-in advocates were also quick to note that higher-powered EV recharging systems can allow a plug-in to be recharged in far less than the four hours the Lexus site claimed. Of course, Toyota has a lot more skin in the game when it comes to hybrids and, starting next year, hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles than it does for plug-ins. Through August, the company sold just 842 RAV4 EVs and about 11,500 Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrids in the US. That compares to almost 19,000 Nissan Leaf EVs and a Tesla Model S count that's likely close to that figure as well (Tesla breaks out neither monthly sales numbers nor US-only sales for the Model S).

Lexus LF-CC gets green light, Evoque rival under consideration

While wandering the floor at this week's LA Auto Show, we had a bit of an epiphany at the Lexus stand. The traditionally stodgy Toyota premium outlet is really starting to come into its own in terms of exciting design. And not just with production models like the excellent new GS sedan. At the front of the display, a triangular formation of plinths was a feast for the eyes - the head was formed by the LFA Nurburgring Package supercar, flanked on either side by the company's outré LF-LC and LF-CC concept cars.
So consider it welcome news on our end that the LF-CC concept shown above has apparently been given the production green light, with a projected arrival by 2015. So says Autocar, which quotes an unnamed source at Lexus willing to confirm that a senior engineer has been tasked with the project. The British publication suggests that the production version of the 2012 Paris Motor Show star will probably be built in both coupe and convertible formats and ride atop the automaker's new modular rear-wheel drive architecture. Power is expected to be an evolution of the GS 350h's hybrid drivetrain.
In other news, that same shadowy source at Lexus has reportedly confirmed that the Japanese luxury brand is "seriously studying" offering a small SUV in the mold of the stylish Range Rover Evoque from Land Rover, though no further details are given. Lexus' own RX crossover range has long been a massive hit for the brand, leaving many industry analysts scratching their heads as to why the automaker hasn't already expanded its crossover offerings to include both larger and smaller formats.