2011 Lexus Rx 350 on 2040-cars

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2017 Lexus Model Year Preview and Updates

As the market for luxury and near-luxury vehicles continues to expand, Lexus intends to grow its already-dominant share; new entries and updates to existing models reflect that. Biggest news for this calendar year – if not the 2017 model year – is unquestionably the introduction of the 2018 LC 500 - pictured above - and LC 500h, high-performance 2+2 coupes powered by either a blazing 5.0-liter normally aspirated V8 (LC 500) or full-hybrid system (LC 500h). Complementing their spring intro is the arrival of a redesigned LS 500 sedan, also making its debut as a 2018 later in this calendar year. LEXUS CT 200h: Lexus' hybrid hatch, nearly invisible from a marketing standpoint, receives new colors in 2017: Atomic Silver Caviar, Autumn Shiver and Blue Vortex Metallic. ES: The various ES trims, including the hybrid, incorporate the Lexus Safety System+ as standard equipment. Display Audio adds the Scout GPS link and all trims receive rain-sensing wipers. GS: Lexus' 5 Series weapon, sold in four variants – 200t, GS 350, GS 350 AWD and GS 450h – incorporates the Lexus Safety System+ as standard, offers a limited-slip differential option for the GS 350 RWD and supplies navigation on the 200t free of charge. IS: The compact Lexus four door receives an in-your-face refresh. A new front fascia, headlamps and wheel designs constitute the significant updates. Inside, the infotainment screen is enlarged, and the Lexus Safety System+ is made standard. LC: Lexus' 2+2 halo is all-new, and comes in two variants: LC 500 is V8-powered, while the LC 500h is equipped with a V6 and fully hybrid integration. The coupe is in Lexus showrooms by May, 2017. LS: The 2017 LS drove into the model year with minimal changes. The big news is the introduction of an all-new 2018 LS in the fourth quarter of this year. RC: Lexus' four-place coupe receives new wheel finishes on both 18-and-19-inch wheels, as well as available triple-beam LED headlamps. In the RC 350 performance dampers are made standard, and in all models the Display Audio receives a Scout GPS link. GX: Little substantive news for the Lexus GX SUV, but heated/ventilated front seats are available as a standalone option, and second-row captain's chairs are standard on the Luxury trim and available on Premium. Finally, the GX receives an optional Sport Design Package, a set of cosmetic upgrades targeting those with a taste for urban adventure.

Lexus LF-LC approved for production

On the sidelines of a press drive for the 2014 Lexus IS, the company's vice president of marketing in the US told Ward's Auto that the honchos in Japan have approved the Lexus LF-LC concept for production. He wouldn't offer any other details on how the luxury coupe might be transformed into a vehicle for the buying masses, and that has led to a bag full of speculation.
The show car was hybrid-powered and rear-wheel drive, a beautifully executed stab by Toyota designers in Newport Beach at redefining Lexus, but even with the concept, the point was to keep it "within reach for premium buyers." The report says the odds are on limited production and higher pricing than Lexus' "mainstream products," and other sites have speculated on what kind of powertrain it might end up in showrooms with.
GT Channel posits that the LF-LC will be the inspiration for a coupe in the Lexus LS price bracket with a choice of either the 4.2-liter V8 or the hybrid powertrain from the LS 600h, further speculating it will be called LC 550 and cost more than $100,000. It then says that there would be another coupe created beneath that one to replace the SC 430. Lexus Enthusiast, however, calls those "warmed-over rumors" and says that the marque probably won't deviate from its engine-capacity-naming scheme - labeling a car with a 4.2-liter V8 an LC 550. Nor does it think Lexus will use the letters LC after the company has trademarked "RC" in the US and Australia.

Lexus eschews production in China over quality concerns

One of the more popular trends in the auto industry is setting up production operations in China. Mainstream manufacturers like Ford, General Motors and Volkswagen have done it, and even luxury marques like Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz have or will soon have manufacturing ops in the People's Republic.
One company that isn't building cars in China, though, is Lexus. The Toyota-owned luxury brand still manufactures all of its vehicles in Japan (aside from a few RXs, which are built at a Toyota factory in Canada). According to Tokuo Fukuichi, Lexus just isn't ready to build cars there yet.
"The German Three have a brand image that they have cultivated over the past century in their long history, but Lexus is not in people's minds like that yet," Fukuichi-san told Reuters UK.