The all-new Opal Blue exterior is inspired by the lustrous base color found in the naturally occurring semi-precious opal stone of outback Australia.
Beneath the blue skin LF-LC combines advanced technologies and materials with organic design, giving an insight into what the future of Lexus sports cars may hold. Central to the concept is a suite of advanced materials and technologies, including lightweight carbon fiber and the next generation of Lexus’ hybrid powertrain.
New to the LF-LC and derived from project LFA, the LF-LC leverages Lexus’ in-house experience in marrying carbon fibre and aluminium alloy materials to achieve a light body mass. The result per Lexus is an extremely taut body that responds quickly and crisply to driver inputs – providing the perfect platform for the next-generation Lexus Hybrid Drive system.
Dubbed Advanced Lexus Hybrid Drive, Lexus says the system features a powerful and efficient Atkinson cycle combustion engine which is mated to an advanced high-energy battery pack. The high-energy battery pack is designed to deliver greater power from a smaller battery than those currently used in Lexus’ range of hybrid vehicles.
Combined, the LF-LC Blue concept's petrol/electric hybrid powertrain develops 372-kw (500 hp) – the most of any Lexus hybrid.
Lexus Australia's Tony Cramb said that LF-LC Blue is a demonstration of what the future may hold for sports cars.
“For decades, Lexus has been synonymous with hybrid drivetrains, superior build quality, comfort and reliability,” Cramb said. “With the LF-LC we now reinforce our design and technology credentials. The LF-LC is part concept, part reality: the concept hints at what’s to come from Lexus, while the reality has us actively studying how we can engineer and build a vehicle like this in the future.”
Source:
hybridcars.com
