Lexus Malaysia has announced the opening of the order books for the Lexus LC 500. Being a flagship luxury coupé, it isn’t cheap, retailing at a cool RM 940,000 on-the-road.

At its heart sits a 5.0 litre naturally-aspirated Atkinson-cycle V8 with VVT-i and D-4S direct injection. Outputs are rated at 471 hp at 7,100 rpm and 540 Nm at 4,800 rpm, and the engine spins all the way up to 7,300 rpm. All that power is sent to the rear wheels via a Direct Shift 10-speed automatic gearbox, enabling the LC 500 to sprint from zero to 100 km/h in under 4.5 seconds.


There’s no mention of the availability of the LC 500h hybrid as yet – that one uses a 295 hp/356 Nm 3.5 litre direct-injected Dual VVT-i V6, matched to a 178 hp/300 Nm electric motor, a lithium-ion battery and a four-speed automatic gearbox that works with the electric motor to simulate the feel of a 10-speed automatic. Total system output stands at 354 hp.

Built on the new Global Architecture – Luxury (GA-L) platform, the LC features a rigid body using a mix of regular, high- and ultra-high-strength steel, aluminium and carbon fibre. To improve weight distribution, the front-mounted engine has been moved 50 mm rearward, and the spare wheel has been replaced by run-flat tyres, allowing the battery to be relocated to the rear (and the boot to be made larger).


The Lexus LC is built at the Motomachi plant in Japan, which previously produced the hand-built carbon fibre LFA. All seven Lexus dealers in Malaysia are able to provide aftersales service for the LC, as their technicians have been extensively trained by Lexus.