Lexus LC Coupe wins coveted 2018 Australian Good Design Awards
Described by judges as “a stunning vehicle in every regard”, the luxury Lexus coupe won the inaugural Best Exterior Design Award in the Automotive and Transport category and was named a Gold Winner in the Product Design category
MUSCAT: The powerful, stunning and exciting Lexus flagship coupe – LC500 was recently honoured for its outstanding design and innovation with the conferring of two prestigious Australian Good Design Awards.
The Good Design Awards, now in their 60th year, represent the highest honour for design innovation in Australia. Organised annually by Good Design Australia, they are one of the longest running and most prestigious design awards in the world.
Described by judges as “a stunning vehicle in every regard”, the luxury Lexus coupe won the inaugural Best Exterior Design Award in the Automotive and Transport category and was named a Gold Winner in the Product Design category.
The awards jury said the new exterior award recognised that the Lexus LC exhibited design language that sets it apart from any other luxury coupe on the market. “The exterior design can be summed up in one simple word beautiful,” the Good Design Award jury’s citation said. “The LC is designed craftsmanship at its very best. This car has a presence on the road like no other; it is one of the finest creations so far by Lexus and a window into what’s to come from this design-driven brand.”
The Lexus LC is a flagship coupe which represents the evolution of Lexus as a lifestyle brand that will surprise and delight customers. The car symbolizes the beginning of a new phase for Lexus. Immediately identifiable as a Lexus thanks to its hallmark spindle grille and dynamic character lines, the LC represents the most passionate expression of the brand’s design direction. Independent L-shaped daytime running lights beneath new ultra-compact triple LED headlamps to create the distinctive LC front lighting signature. Powered by a high-performance V8 engine, the Lexus LC 500 exhales through the variable Active Exhaust upon start-up, with the 5-litre naturally aspirated V8 issuing a clarion call to driving enthusiasts. The LC 500 can sprint from zero to 100 km in less than 4.7 seconds. Under acceleration, the LC 500 reveals its character in a continuously rising power curve, with the 471 hp developed at 7,100 rpm and the torque peak of 55.0 kg-m at 4,800 rpm. The fast-revving V8 issues a stunning soundtrack amplified by a special resonance tube connecting the intake to the firewall, plus a standard Active Exhaust that rumbles and roars like a high-performance GT should. The sound has been developed specifically for the LC, to reflect the coupe’s specific performance qualities. The driver can adjust the natural exhaust sound level via the Drive Mode Select system.
The Lexus LC debuts the first 10-speed automatic transmission for a luxury automobile. Smaller and lighter than some 8-speed units, this new transmission executes shifts at speeds rivalling dual-clutch transmissions, yet with the seamless performance and smoothness of a torque converter automatic. The LC allows manual shifting via magnesium paddles. The Drive Mode Select feature provides integrated control of multiple systems, offering enhanced driving pleasure by allowing the driver to select drive modes suitable for the situation, or to match their preferred driving style. In addition to the five drive modes set in advance, a Custom Mode has been provided, enabling the user to freely combine each mode. SPORT S+ extracts the most from the powertrain and transmission shifts and also fully opens the baffles in the Active Exhaust under acceleration.
Lexus, which introduced the world’s first luxury hybrid 13 years ago, developed the world’s first Multi-Stage Hybrid System specifically for the LC 500h. Like other Lexus hybrid configurations, the Multi-Stage Hybrid System teams the gasoline engine with two electric motors/generators, but similarities end there. The Atkinsoncycle 3.5-liter V6 gasoline engine uses D-4S direct fuel injection, and lightweight valvetrain components allow a 6,600-rpm redline, with Dual VVT-i ensuring ample torque across the engine speed range. The combined system output is 354 hp, yet that figure does not fully indicate the LC 500h’s performance potential.
The dynamic luxury theme of the exterior is carried through into the LC’s cabin, which brings together elegance, quality and sophistication with a driver-focused cockpit. The low instrument panel position, together with the low hood line and narrow A pillars, give the low-seated driver a commanding view of the road. All driving controls are easy to reach without altering one’s posture. Lexus positioned the information displays at the same height, to reduce the degree of eye movement required to read them. The instrument binnacle houses the latest version of the TFT display technology introduced in the Lexus LFA supercar, including a moving centre ring. Comfort and luxury are no less thorough. The LC’s exclusive seats feel as good as they look, with a new two-part construction technique where the main part of the seatback drapes over the shoulder area and then wraps around the seatback.
As thrilling as the LC sounds from the outside, Lexus also ensured that sounds inside the cabin would delight those with a fine ear for musical detail. The LC has Mark Levinson audio systems with exclusive equipment from their top-of-the-range Reference Product. The audio system uses innovative technologies to deliver concert hall quality sound.
Both versions of the LC are equipped as standard with Lexus Safety System+, an array of active safety features that can help the driver avoid an accident, or help lessen the consequences of a collision. The system uses a camera and millimetre-wave radar to monitor the road ahead for potential hazards and collision risks. The package includes advanced driver assistance functions such as Pre-Crash System (PCS), Dynamic Radar Cruise Control System (DRCC), which supplements the conventional system with a vehicle-to-vehicle distance control mode that helps maintain a suitable distance from the preceding vehicle; Lane-Keeping Assist (LKA), which uses a camera sensor located in the upper windshield area to detect lane markings while driving and then provides the driver with information and steering assistance in accordance with road and driving conditions; and Automatic High Beam (AHB), which detects nearby light sources such as the headlights or tail lights of vehicles ahead and automatically switches between high beams and low beams to ensure optimum night-time visibility.
Other safety features on the LC include Lexus Parking Assist (LPA), which makes use of a sensor to notify the driver by display and buzzer of the approximate distance between the vehicle and an obstacle; Rear Cross Traffic Alert (RCTA) system, designed to help prevent potential danger in parking situations; Blind Spot Monitor, which detects and warns the driver of vehicles approaching or positioned in the adjacent lanes; Vehicle Stability Control (VSC), which helps prevent side skids and also to stabilize the vehicle while turning on a curve; as well as Antilock Braking System (ABS).
In Oman, every Lexus vehicle comes with special benefits and privileges such as 4 years/100,000km (whichever is earlier) Manufacturer’s Warranty and 24 hours of on-road assistance from AAA.