I'm willing to bet that this car will be a LC and not a SC. No business owner, especially a Japanese one, would bring back the SC. Why?
Resurrecting the SC may do more harm than good. First of all, it was smaller than an RC so why would Lexus build a bigger coupe and call it an SC? Second, this would just confuse buyers and show mismanagement within Lexus since Lexus had stated that they have retired the car. The journalists will eat Akio alive.
The LC has to be Lexus's flagship coupe and it must be a thing of beauty. It must have all the advancements, all the luxuries and most importantly all the horsepower. Due to the size and weight of the vehicle, the 5 liter V8 will be standard. I would love to see the first pictures of the car in some mixture of red, white and black.
LC 500 - 5L V8 producing 470hp
LC 500h - 4.6L Hybrid Engine
LC F - twin turbo or supercharge the 5L V8 and produce at least 600hp. This thing will be mean. I think this will actually have a TMG badge on it.
This kinda makes me think ... maybe Lexus will start producing supercharged cars ... following the success of the LX Supercharged. So maybe a supercharged LC rather than the twin turbos?
I don't quite understand this logic?
Many consumers will not care that a vehicle is called "SC" or "LC" - they care about the features, the design and whether or not it fits into their budget. SC has a legacy and has been one of the most iconic models in the Lexus lineup. During 2010 when the SC was retired, the global economy was still fragile, a lot of resources were going into the LFA and then the tsunami hit in 2011.
Lexus also prides themselves on never having discontinued a model line, and it would seem odd to discontinue one of their most iconic models with no follow up whatsoever - effectively making it the first product line to fully be axed.
SC was smaller than the RC because it was based on the 2nd gen GS platform - if you think about a vehicle based on the current GS, it would be larger than the RC. In comparison to the RC, the current GS is 6" longer and has a 5" longer wheelbase. If LC is indeed going be based on an LS platform as some rumors have stated (larger than GS), does that open a spot for a midsize coupe (SC)? Seems like a lot of coupes, but if the LC ends up being priced $100 - $125k, there is a hole in the lineup for something $60-95k.
The idea that introducing a new SC vs a new "LC" model would confuse customers seems counter intuitive to me. People know of "SC" but have never heard of "LC."
I doubt that the standard engine will be the same 467hp we see in the RC F, and assume it might be tuned differently for MPG or less noise, since the LC 500 will not be an F model.
Regarding turbos or superchargers, the supercharged LX is not manufactured by Lexus but is a kit produced by the distributor who services the Middle East. Considering this, Lexus does not have any particular expertise or experience with supercharging that would be transferred to future engines. Superchargers also tend to eat gas moreso than turbos - counter productive considering ever more stringent CAFE standards.