REPORT: Lexus preparing soft-top SC430 successor

Noah Joseph — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 09:58:00 EST

Filed under: Convertible, Lexus, Rumormill

2009 Lexus SC430 Pebble Beach Edition - Click above for high-res image gallery

While the Lexus IS C is enjoying strong early sales and the luxury Toyota marque prepares to launch a version with the 5.0-liter V8 from the IS F, the top-of-the-line SC 430 grows increasingly irrelevant and long-in-the-tooth. However, contrary to reports that surfaced this time last year - 'tis the season for convertibles, after all - Lexus is indeed planning a successor to the range-topping coupe-cabrio.

Reports indicate that, far from the IS C replacing the aging SC 430, a clean-slate successor to the big roadster is in the planning stages. Because the SC has been around so long, Toyota's designers and engineers are reportedly going back to the drawing board. What they're apparently coming up with eschews the current model's complex folding hard top - one of the first on the market after the Mitsubishi 3000GT VR4 Spyder and Mercedes SLK - in favor of a simpler, lighter folding soft top.

With a new SC 430, an IS F convertible and a potential LF-A roadster all in the pipeline, the forecast looks sunny for Lexus.

[Source: Car and Driver]

REPORT: Lexus preparing soft-top SC430 successor originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 09 Jul 2009 09:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lexus files trademarks for IS Coupe

Damon Lavrinc — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 14:57:00 EST

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Lexus

The image above is only a rendering we found on the interweb

We've been hearing about a possible Lexus IS coupe for what seems like eons, and by most accounts, it's likely to hit the streets sometime around the turn of the decade. A convertible is supposedly in the works too, but until now, there's been limited proof that Lexus was planning to offer the two-door version of its entry-level sedan. However, the crew at my.is has been scouring U.S. and Canadian trademark applications and has come up with three new filings from Toyota's luxury division that could mean Lexus is at least considering bringing the IS coupe to market.

The trademarks include alphanumeric names with a "C" affixed to the end, including the IS250C, IS300C and IS350C. "C" could mean a couple of things, but the smart money is on "Coupe." It's also telling that Lexus' lawyers have trademarked the IS300C designation, since there's nothing to slot in between the current entry-level IS250 and the markedly more powerful IS350. There's no filing for an IS-FC, but if Lexus finally decides to provide the coupe people crave and do serious battle with the BMW M3, it's just a matter of time before we see some derivation of that name pop up in the trademark office.

[Source: my.is, Photo: Unknown Source]

Lexus files trademarks for IS Coupe originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 24 Apr 2008 14:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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