One Hybrid Coupe Could Replace Both the Lexus LC and RC

A February report said Lexus is developing a single hybrid grand tourer to replace both the LC and RC, leaving the brand with one coupe where it used to sell two.

According to the report, the car would be a 2+2 sized closer to the LC than the smaller RC, could share its platform with the next-generation Toyota GR Supra, and is targeted for a 2027 debut. Nothing about it has been confirmed by Lexus, and no name, design or power figures have been released.

AutoGuide reported the claim on February 18, crediting Japan’s Best Car magazine, which AutoGuide described as "sometimes reliable." Best Car put the expected price at around 15 million yen in Japan, which AutoGuide converted to roughly $97,000 at the exchange rate at the time. AutoGuide stressed that "nothing has been officially confirmed."

The powertrain is the biggest open question. AutoGuide expects a V6 hybrid and pointed to two systems Lexus already builds. The LX 700h uses a 3.4-liter twin-turbo V6 hybrid rated at 457 net horsepower and 583 lb-ft of torque, while the TX 550h+ plug-in hybrid pairs a 3.5-liter V6 with two motors and an 18.1-kWh battery for 404 horsepower. AutoGuide considers it unlikely that the LC’s naturally aspirated 5.0-liter V8 would return.

Both cars the new coupe would replace are already gone or going. AutoGuide said RC and RC F production ended in late 2025, and The Car Guide reported that LC production was scheduled to end in August 2026, with no LC after the 2026 model year. Neither car sold in large numbers in the U.S. Toyota Motor North America’s 2025 sales release shows 1,349 RCs and 1,286 LCs sold last year, a combined 2,635 cars. Through September 2026, the company’s third-quarter report shows 1,124 LC sales and just 239 RC sales, down from 1,080 RCs in the same period of 2025.

The hybrid coupe would sit alongside a separate electric halo car. Lexus showed an electric LFA Concept in December 2025, though The Car Guide noted production hasn’t been confirmed, and AutoGuide said an electric LFA-badged coupe based on the Toyota GR GT is expected.

The Toyota Report Take

Combining the LC and RC into one car makes sense on paper, because neither sold well enough on its own to justify a dedicated replacement. The risk is that a coupe priced near the LC leaves out the buyers who shopped the smaller RC, and Lexus would have no entry-level two-door at all. If the report is right, the new car needs to feel as special as the LC did, because a V6 hybrid will have a hard time matching the old V8’s sound.