According to a CarAdvice interview with the president of Lexus International, Kiyotaka Ise, the LF-CC concept that debuted last week at the Paris Motor Show may be a preview of the next-generation IS sedan and a brand new separate coupe model:
Lexus used the 2012 Paris motor show to unveil its LF-CC concept that previews the company’s next-generation IS.
Ise-san, however, suggested the production version of the 3-Series coupe rival may adopt a different badge to the IS sedan.
“We’re not saying this is an IS coupe,” he said, “but it is a D-segment [3 Series class] car.”
Ise-san said the new IS sedan and the spin-off two-door will challenge the BMW 3 Series for driver enjoyment.
This would definitely add weight to the theory that the LF-CC is an composite of two distinct models — in fact, mentioning BMW as a main competitor may foreshadow Lexus’s strategy.
For the first time ever, BMW will be separating their entry-level model into two separate designations — the sedan will remain a 3-series, while the coupe & convertible will become the all-new 4-series. These newly-divided models from BMW will have one other key difference beside the number of doors* — the 4-series will be longer, placing it between the 3-series and 5-series sedans in length.
While it’s just pure guesswork on my part, it’s possible that Lexus may do something similar by making this new coupe bigger than an IS but smaller than the GS — this would have the potential of appealing to both IS & GS buyers looking for a coupe, and it opens the door for a future coupe to sit between the GS & LS.
But beyond all the speculation on size, the name itself makes for a good guessing game — what do you think this new model be called?
(* I purposely ignored the BMW 4-series four-door gran coupe, which just confuses everything.)
[Source: CarAdvice]
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