Detroit 2012: Lexus LF-LC Concept Is Drool-Worthy

Before a certain Mr. LFA was born, a typical Lexus owner would have been pushing 50 years old. A fact probably unsurprising given that all Lexus built a short while back were three saloons; small, medium, large and a convertible to top it off. All were quiet, comfortable, peaceful and they weren't in your face.

To then improve their product range, the folks in Toyota City decided to add the same hybrid technology as Toyota's Prius into their cars to make one of the first 4x4 hybrids on the market. However just talking about the not-so-distant past of Lexus induces yawning from your good author. The future, on the other hand, looks very exciting indeed.

2009 saw the first IS-F, a 5.0L V8 super saloon to take on the likes of the Audi RS4 and Mercedes C63 AMG. Then in 2010 the amazing LFA supercar was released. It still aimed to provide the trademark Lexus comfort and all that jazz for two people but in a 4.8L V10 552hp masterpiece that goes from 0-60 in 3.2 seconds and has a top speed of 203mph. So what have Lexus lined up for us next?

This is the LF-LC concept which was designed at Lexus' Calty studio in California and shows us two things. Firstly, it's a showcase of Lexus' future design language first seen on the latest GS (that's the medium, 5 Series sized saloon) and will be seen next on 2013's IS (the small, 3 Series-sized one). It also shows a possible 2+2 coupe which Lexus are considering to put into production to take on the likes of the BMW 6 Series and Jaguar XK. It certainly wipes out the some of the old perception of Lexus. It stands out and looks futuristic and exciting. If it were to go into production, Lexus say it would use a slightly shorter, next-gen LS platform and be named the LC600h with a brand new hi-tech hybrid unit.

Hopes are high for this game changer so it's appearance at the Detroit Motor Show will be an important one. It could be a bit like the turnaround Jaguar had. Before, all their saloons were so outdated and were aimed at people that still wore bowler hats but then the XF and the new XJ came along and now everyone including "us kids" agree they're top of the cool scale. If all goes to Lexus' plan and the reception is great all-round, we could see the gorgeous LF-LC on our roads in 2014. Drool.