Autoblog

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.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

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.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Rumormill: Lexus SC430 to end production in July with special edition "Eternal Jewel"

Jonny Lieberman — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 10:28:00 EST

Filed under: Convertible, Japan, Lexus, Rumormill, Luxury

Much unloved by the automotive press and lately by consumers who haven't been buying them, the folding-hardtop Lexus SC430 is possibly ending its production run this July. To celebrate and honor the occasion, Lexus is releasing a special edition. Called "The Eternal Jewel," this special edition SC430 should be at Japanese domestic market Lexus dealers by March.

Only 200 are being made and all we know is what we see in the above photograph, i.e. nice looking leather. We doubt any will make it to our shores. If SC430 production does end, that leaves the door open for Lexus to continue in the direction laid down by the IS-F and LF-A and bring out a sporty SC replacement, hopefully along the lines of the original SC300 and SC400, visually at least. We'll keep you posted as we learn more. Tip of the sun-blocking baseball cap to Leopaul!

[Source: Lexus]

Rumormill: Lexus SC430 to end production in July with special edition "Eternal Jewel" originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 21 Jan 2010 10:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

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.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

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.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Consumer Reports ranks Porsche 911 best performance car

Damon Lavrinc — Fri, 01 Sep 2006 10:05:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, Coupe, Performance, BMW, Cadillac, Dodge, Jaguar, Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche

A while back, we had heard that there are a few dedicated car guys within the hallowed halls of Consumer Reports. At the time, we were a bit surprised, but now that they've rated the Porsche 911 as the "Top Ultra-Performance Car," their gear-head cred may have just been confirmed.

The vehicles tested in the performance arena included the Corvette Z06, Dodge Viper and the aforementioned 911. Those coupes, along with a BMW 650i, Cadillac XLR, Jaguar XK, Lexus SC430 and an M-B SL550, made up the magazine's first foray into the world of luxury sports cars.

This inaugural exam of high-end motoring proved to be the most expensive yet for the magazine. As we're sure you're aware, C.R. doesn't accept any press vehicles for evaluation, so they purchase their test subjects on the open market, just as any other car buyer would. The total for all vehicles came in at over $650,000.

The 911 was rated by C.R.'s wonks as "excellent" overall, just barely nudging out the Z06, which also received an "excellent" score. The Viper, brought up the rear with a "very good" rating, although it had the distinction of being the fastest vehicle to sprint to 60 MPH in Consumer Reports' history (4.2 seconds, if you didn't already have it firmly implanted in your cortex).

Interestingly, of all the vehicles rated in the test, only the Lexus SC430 received the 'recommended" designation, due to a lack of reliability information on the rest of the models.

Follow the 'read' link for a synopsis or wait until September 5th, when Consumer Reports hits newsstands everywhere.

[Source: The Auto Channel]

Consumer Reports ranks Porsche 911 best performance car originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 01 Sep 2006 10:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments