The print edition of the Japanese website Best Car Web just hit magazine stands, and we’ve got an early scoop for you. According to them, a brand new Lexus coupe will replace both the LC and the RC in the fall of 2025.
As Lexus fans all know, the Japanese luxury brand sells two quite interesting but old sports coupes. The RC, short for Radical Coupe, was first shown at the 2023 Tokyo Motor Show and entered production in October 2014. Meanwhile, the LC came out in 2017, but its development started in 2011 and it was preceded by the 2012 LF-LC concept.
Both of these vehicles offer both performance and the luxury Lexus is known for. However, they are perhaps best known for their naturally aspirated 5.0-liter V8 engines, which virtually no other automaker offers.
Unfortunately, these don’t comply with the latest regulations, and the new Lexus coupe won’t have a V8, instead opting for a hybrid V6. Best Car suggests the replacement LC might eventually offer plug-in hybrid or EV powertrains, but they’re only 100% sure about the hybrid.
They are saying this will be more of a luxury coupe, slotting below the flagship LFA II, rumored to be called the LFR. The new LC will be based on the same platform as the old one, the TNGA-L. However, the architecture will be significantly updated to make the chassis stiffer and lighter.
Best Car states that the powertrain will be a hybrid drive with a 3.5-liter V6 at its core. The combined system output is said to be only 380 PS or 375 hp, and that’s frankly a little disappointing. The output suggests this is a direct replacement for the current LC 500h that makes 354 hp (359 PS). Toyota has a much more powerful turbocharged 3.4-liter making 389 horsepower or 437 hp as a hybrid in its Tundra pickup trucks.
Our source also has a few interesting renderings showing the new Lexus coupe, which they say measures 4800mm by 1800mm by 1350mm. Frankly, it’s a little disappointing considering the debut date is in Fall 2025. And they’re saying it will cost from 15 million yen or $102,000. It’s in roughly the same ballpark as a Corvette or a BMW M850i.
The 2026 Lexus coupe is said to weigh 1,950 kilos which is equivalent to 4,300 lbs. That’s not exactly great for a sports car with only 380 hp. We also don’t know what kind of gearbox it will use, although the new 8-speed fitted to their latest vehicles is rumored. Again, these specs suggest Lexus is making its own type of luxury vehicle, not a decent rival to BMWs, Porsches and other European sports cars.
Other Japanese sports cars are coming
The same new issue of Best Car covers all of the upcoming Japanese sports cars that we’ve reported on. In case you missed it, there’s a new GRMN Supra just around the corner with a 542 hp twin-turbo 3.0-liter inline-6, just like the M4 CSL. It will be the last version of the current Supra, but an all-new one is coming around 2026 and could be both an EV and straight-six-powered.
Meanwhile, the replacement for the GR86 will have the 1.6-liter turbo from the GR Corolla instead of a Subaru boxer. It’s a hybrid with a manual, although another source has claimed the engine is a 1.4-liter.
Meanwhile, Nissan is working on the next GT-R. The R36 will be a radical departure, taking the shape of a 4-door EV that rivals the Porsche Taycan. There’s also a Skyline electric SUV on the way. Honda is making the NSX III as an EV too, and potentially reviving the Prelude.
