KUALA LUMPUR, July 26 — Lexus Malaysia has launched the all-new Lexus LC500 in the Malaysian market.

This model is the flagship luxury coupe of the Lexus model range, and brings the total number of Lexus models offered here to nine.

The Lexus LC500 immediately goes into the ‘muscle car’ bracket — one look at the main specifications will tell you that this is not a car you want to drag with — 5.0 litre V8 engine with an output of 470PS, and 540 Nm of torque, rear-wheel drive, a ten-speed Direct Shift transmission with close ratio gears (with ten speeds, of course the ratios would have to be really close).

In this day and age, it is encouraging to see an auto maker still making large capacity engines — every other auto maker is ‘down-sizing’. However, the ‘home’ of Lexus is in the USA, a land where V8’s and 5.0 litre or larger engines are more the norm than an oddity.

A 2 +2 Coupe body, 21-inch wheels, sleek, and inspired by the LFA and you get a super car that will hold its own against any of the well-known supercar brands.

The Lexus LC500 is built on a new platform that defines the brand strategy, providing a high degree of product development freedom, and is tailored for front engine/rear-wheel drive models – this is good news for driving purists who believe in rear-wheel drive machines.

There is high deployment of aluminium, mixed with high tensile steel in the right places. Of note is the ‘reinforced’ aluminium front suspension top mount, something never seen before on a production car.

Elsewhere, the Lexus LC500 brims with innovative technology, including aerodynamics — there are air ducts in front of the four wheels to draw air from the front and sides of the car, and channel it to just in front of each wheel to achieve a better air flow around the wheel area.

The ‘aero-fins’ help to stabilise air flow, and work has also been done to under-body aerodynamics. Even the door handles retract after the doors are closed (a Lexus first) to improve the surface air flow.

The design of the new Lexus LC500 has its origins in the Lexus LF-LC concept car displayed in 2012. Response to it was very good, so Lexus decided to make it the basis of an all-new coupe model.

In less than 5 years, the Lexus development team has turned the concept car into a production model.

This feat called for new ways of cooperation between the design and engineering teams throughout the development process. This model was reportedly one of the pet projects of Akio Toyoda, Toyota Motor Corporations president and he was coincidentally Lexus’ previous Chief Branding officer.

The new model made its debut at the 2016 North American International Auto Show, with production starting in March 2017.

Just a few months has passed by since its debut, so we are actually quite fortunate to have it here.

The overall shape and silhouette of the LC500 can be described in just one word — beautiful.

Wide and low slung and in the configuration of a coupe, the LC500 will be an eye turner wherever it goes, and it looks like it will become a collectible in the future.

The front headlights are really small and unique in shape — it is created using independent daytime running lights in an arrowhead configuration and ultra-compact 3-beam LED headlamp units referred to as Polaric Ellipsoid System lenses — this headlamp design (a Lexus first) is key to the design teams’ ability to achieve the coupe’s low bonnet line and short front overhang.

The athletic profile is accentuated by its sweeping roofline, which tapers rearward form above the centrally positioned cabin to create a distinctive silhouette.

Chrome plated mouldings along the side of the roof amplify the elegant coupe profile, the rear edges shaped to echo the lines of a traditional Japanese sword.

The blacked out finish to the roof and rear pillars create a floating effect that visually separates the roof from the rear spoiler. We are told that the some countries, the roof is glass, but for the Malaysian market, we get a carbon-fibre roof.

A rear ‘active’ (mini) spoiler that activates automatically above 80kph completes the picture.

The rear combination lights set vertically at the outer-most edge of the bumper, have graphics that guide the eye in three directions, while within the lights, is a new Lexus concept using mirrors to create a multi-reflection, 3-dimensional sequence of L-shaped graphics.

For the interior design of the LC500, the theme ‘Seduction and Technology’ was adopted — the aim was to provide an ideal coupe cabin with a balance between function and comfort, sporting intent and luxury, with a intuitive layout and optimal seating position for spirited driving.

Looking at the car, one can see that the most pampered person would be the driver, followed by the front passenger. The rear seats are there, but they might as well have just made this a two-seater. A dear friend of mine used to call these ‘one kilometre seats’.

The instrument panel houses the latest version TFT display screen, including a Movable Ring Meter and Drive Mode Differentiated Display – graphics change depending on the mode selected. In the centre of the dashboard, there is a 10.3 inch Electro Multi Vision (EMV) display panel with WVGA display that is viewable from multiple angles.

Navigation of this panel is via a touchpad that sits between the seats. Two zone air-conditioning is standard, but probably the best touch in the cockpit is the location of the gear lever — for right hand drive, the gear knob is placed on the right hand side of the centre console — this is a demonstration of the attention to detail — not spoken at the launch of mooted by anybody a t Lexus — just a personal observation.

In terms of performance, the Lexus LC500 will accelerate from standstill to 100 km/h in 4.4 seconds. I didn’t know that they needed to do this with a V8, but according to the release by Lexus, there is a sound generator to create a thick dynamic sound when the engine is started, announcing the car’s presence in no uncertain way.

Based on the engine intake pulses, this sound is in sync with the engine revolutions, and changes as engine speed increases, creating a pulsating effect which can be felt in the cabin — I wonder if it can be switched off.

The 10-speed automatic transmission is also a world-first for a premium car. Smaller and lighter than some 8-speed units, the new transmission is said to execute gear changes at speeds rivalling dual-clutch transmissions, yet is seamless and smooth.

An advanced electronic control system with Artificial Intelligence (AI) monitors the driver’s inputs through acceleration, braking and lateral forces and chooses the most apt gear ratio — they are so close to each other, so going up a couple or down a couple makes a difference in power delivery or fuel economy.

An aggressive driving style will prompt the AI for a lower gear to be engaged while a sedentary driving style would prompt the AI to select a higher gear. The torque converter features lock-ups in all gears except when starting off to eliminate transmission slip to provide a more direct driving feel and promote fuel efficiency.

At the rear, the Lexus LC500 is fitted with a newly developed differential with a Torsen limited differential slip differential (LSD) for better take-off and driving dynamics through corners. In all driving situations, driving dynamics is enhanced through Lexus Dynamic Handling (LDH).

The system coordinates the Variable Gear Steering (VGRS), Dynamic Rear Steering (DRS), and the Electric Power Steering (EPS) functions.

Front suspension for the Lexus LC500 is of the double wishbone configuration, while the rear employs a sophisticated multi-link arrangement.

According to the news release, the set-up is designed to provide excellent response and greater feel, while providing a higher degree of ride comfort.

The American market favours ride comfort over handling – but considering the power and the sporty demeanour and the fact that Akio Toyoda, who is an avid racing driver himself, I would expect the Lexus LC500 to be a good handler as well. Well, we will never know, would we, until we get a chance to have a go with it.

Retailing at a price of RM940,000, the Lexus LC500 immediately goes into the ‘Exclusive’ category — it comes with 5 years or 100,000km warranty, whichever comes first.

Scheduled servicing is provided free of charge to owners.