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Lexus rumored to replace SC430 with 500-hp LC600h hybrid super-coupe

Noah Joseph — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Convertible, Hybrid, Performance, Lexus, Rumormill, Luxury

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

Hard as it may be to imagine from its dated styling, the Lexus SC430 was once considered to be a halo vehicle. Well, maybe not quite, but its folded hardtop self was enough to bring at least a few customers into showrooms. Today, that job belongs to the LFA supercar, but in between the two models there's a gulf wide enough to fill with a few hundred million gallons of crude oil. (What, too soon?) Now, we wouldn't go so far as to call the current SC a disaster, but suffice it to say it could use a replacement. Badly.

According to a new story from Motor Trend, that replacement is on the way, and looks like it could be worth the wait. Dubbed LC600h, the new two-door is reportedly slated to borrow its underpinnings from the next-generation LS flagship sedan. A folding hardtop is still expected to be part of the mix (as it has been on every convertible Lexus ever made), but don't go dismissing this as a lump of mush: According to MT, an updated version of the LS600h sedan's 5.0-liter hybrid V8 packing as much as - wait for it - 500 horsepower is slated to replace the SC's lackluster 288-horsepower 4.3-liter. What's more, it's expected to drive all four wheels. That's nearly twice as much power as the model it's slated to replace, and what we around here call "progress."

Try not to get too riled up, though, as MT's sources don't expect the LC to come along until after the next-gen LS sedan is introduced in 2014. And that's assuming the economy and the fortunes of parent company Toyota cooperate enough for it to mount an assault on Mercedes SL territory.

Gallery: 2009 Pebble Beach Edition Lexus SC430

[Source: Motor Trend]

Lexus rumored to replace SC430 with 500-hp LC600h hybrid super-coupe originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 12 Oct 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Adios! Lexus SC430 to be euthanized in July

Damon Lavrinc — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 13:33:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, Convertible, Lexus, Luxury

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

It was rumored in January and now it's been confirmed by Automobile Magazine: Lexus will kill its slow-selling SC430 this July and it will reportedly return in 2014 packing a hybrid electric drivetrain and a new V8.

Aside from a handful of special edition models, the SC430 has soldiered on largely unchanged for the better part of a decade, and with less the 1,000 SCs sold last year and a final run of around 300 slated to be built in 2010, its demise will likely go unnoticed save a few octogenarians that pick up a new Pebble Beach Edition each summer.

According to Automobile, the next generation SC is slated to arrive sometime in 2014, packing a 5.0-liter V8 and a hybrid drivetrain that should be good for 400-500 horsepower. The Lexus SC600h - as it's tentatively dubbed - would be a fitting replacement to the SuperGT racer that's been running in the Japanese touring car series for the last several years - unless Lexus decides the LFA is a more worthy combatant.

Gallery: 2009 Pebble Beach Edition Lexus SC430

[Source: Automobile]

Adios! Lexus SC430 to be euthanized in July originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 11 Jun 2010 13:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lexus cancels next-gen SC, Toyota cancels next Avalon

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 09:41:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, Convertible, Coupe, Sedan, Supercars, Lexus, Toyota

Sales of the bulbous Lexus SC 430, one of the vehicles that kick-started the current hardtop convertible fad in the U.S., have slowed so significantly that Toyota's luxury brand has reportedly canceled its replacement. The four-place, V8-powered, rear-wheel-drive vehicle never fit well into any specific niche, as it boasted neither the sportiness of the ragtop Jaguar XK and Porsche 911, nor the snob appeal of the BMW 6 Series. Through the first six months of this year, Lexus sold only 1,230 SC's, down 40% from last year. What fans the Lexus sport coupes/convertible does have need not worry, however, as the brand will be launching the much more potent (and substantially more impressive) LF-A supercar at some point in the future.

According to Inside Line, the SC isnt the only Toyota product without a future. The Avalon entry-level ~~Buick~~ luxury sedan is also on the chopping block. Fans of the ~~boring~~ unpretentious Avalon can instead look forward to an extended-length version of the Camry sedan to take its spot in Toyota's U.S. lineup.

Gallery: 2007 Lexus SC 430 Pebble Beach Edition

[Source: Inside Line]

Lexus cancels next-gen SC, Toyota cancels next Avalon originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 12 Jul 2008 09:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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