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Lexus LF-LC GT ready to hit Gran Turismo

Lexus might not have as rich a motorsport history as its parent company Toyota does, but it's not been without its racing activities – fielding the LFA in the VLN series at the Nurburgring and powering Daytona Prototypes in American endurance racing, but especially in Japan's own Super GT touring car series. That's where it recently rolled out the RC F GT500 is to replace the aging SC430, fighting for the championship last season right up to the bitter end. And this year it will bring a similar version of the RC F to GT3 racing as well. But before it does, the Japanese automaker has given us another racing machine to lust over – only this one is just for the virtual reality of Gran Turismo 6. Following the two teaser images that previewed its reveal, Polyphony Digital (the studio behind the Gran Turismo franchise) has revealed the new Lexus LF-LC GT. The latest in the Vision Gran Turismo series of virtual racers, the Lexus concept starts with the LF-LC show car revealed at the Detroit Auto Show back in 2012, but applies to it some of the same queues as the aforementioned RC F racer. The bodywork melds into extended aprons to keep the car glued to the digital track, there's a side-exit exhaust, carbon hood and roof, a giant rear wing, gargantuan diffuser and lightweight alloys on racing slicks. It's even got the rainbow-swirled white paint job of the RC F GT3 concept. Technical details weren't released, but then this concept wasn't designed to hit any real road or track any time in the near future, anyway. Related Video:

Lincoln MKC crossover adopts the Continental's grille

The last vestiges of the controversial split Lincoln grille are slowly being removed as the company revamps its lineup. It started with the MKZ and Continental, with the most recent rhinoplasty recipient being the Navigator. Now, based on spy shots, it looks like the MKC crossover will be the fourth to get the new corporate grille. Under the heavy vinyl coverings, we can clearly see the proud Continental-inspired grille. We can also see that it will feature the same chrome mesh with Lincoln badge-shaped openings found on other cars with the grille design. We can also assume that the headlights will receive a substantial refresh, but the lower bumper doesn't look particularly different. The rest of this prototype MKC looks the same as the existing model. The back is covered, which indicates that the taillights may be updated. We wouldn't expect a radically different look, since the MKC already has a full-width taillight treatment. We also noticed that the wheels appear to be inspired by the cool turbine wheels of the Navigator. Whatever the other changes are, we'll probably see them soon. This is clearly just a refresh, and so there's a good chance we'll see the production model revealed by the end of the year, or early next year at the latest. Related Video:

Did BMW really win the luxury car sales race?

As anyone who follows our monthly By The Numbers series already knows, the luxury car sales race in the United States was close all of last year as BMW, Lexus and Mercedes-Benz seesawed up and down for sales supremacy. At the end of the year, it was BMW on top of the standings with 346,023 total sales. Or was it? According to data released by Polk, comparing the actual number of vehicles registered between the three top luxury players in the US paints a slightly different picture. Polk's data suggests that only 335,259 BMWs were registered in 2015, compared to 340,392 Lexus models. Why the disparity? It's all a matter of timing. Actual end consumers buy new cars, in almost all cases, from a franchised dealer. BMW delivered 346,023 vehicles in 2015, but only 335,259 of them were registered by their new owners. Presumably, those 11,000 BMWs did (or will) end up registered in the driveways of consumers, but they hadn't before January 1, 2016. Lexus General Manager Jeff Bracken wrote in an email to Automotive News, "Luxury sales leadership as measured by vehicle registrations is important to Lexus as it represents actual consumers engaging directly with our dealers." Of course, it goes without saying that we'll be paying keen attention to the 2016 luxury car sales race as it unfolds. If it's anything like it was in 2015, it'll come down to the wire, and even then may not be entirely clear. Related Video: News Source: Automotive News - sub. req.Image Credit: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty BMW Lexus Mercedes-Benz Car Buying Car Dealers Luxury luxury cars