Lexus will Launch RC Coupe with a New Four Base Coat Red Paint

When the all-new Lexus RC Coupe will launch in 2014, it will be available with a striking red paint that brings more brightness and contrast thanks to an entirely new painting process.

Using a two-color base of both silver and red, the luminous red paint is achieved through a paint process using four base coats of paint, which are then baked twice.

Lexus says layers of colored and clear coating are used to control some of the color’s reflections and “establish a balance between the brightness and depth” – two elements that usually work against each other.

To prepare the color, the factory starts with a base coat of silver and then applies a clear coat that is covered by a translucent red coat, which is topped with another clear coat. The four coats of paint are then baked twice to set the color.

Thanks to this process, light hitting the paint reflects off the red layer and off the silver layer below, adding depth and a metallic highlight to the red coloration. Before using this new procedure that will debut on the Lexus RC Coupe, the factory used base coats with the same color tone (red and red).

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New Lexus RC Coupe Detailed in Fresh Batch of Photos

Leaving aside the exclusive, exorbitant and extremely limited production LFA and after fiddling around with coupe-convertible models like the second generation SC and IS C for more than a decade, Lexus has finally given in and presented a traditional coupe, one that a wider audienceshould be able to afford.

We've already provided you with a first taste of the 2015 Lexus RC, and now we can give a more detailed photo look at Lexus' BMW 4-Series and Audi A5 Coupe challenger, after several Japanese sites released a host of new pictures.

Speaking of the 4-Series, Lexus is following a very similar, if not identical path to BMW with the RC, which while based on the IS sedan, sports a more seductive body with different panels. The coupe also has a 70mm (2.8 inches) shorter wheelbase at 2,730mm (107.5 inches), but is both longer and wider by 30mm (1.2 inches) compare to the saloon.

Nevertheless, Lexus Chief Engineer Junichi Furuyama made it a point to tell Motortrend magazinethat the RC is a different car than the IS:

"One thing I want to emphasize, the aim of introducing this new model RC is to add a new level of excitement to the existing Lexus lineup," he said. "This is not an IS Coupe, it is the RC, a new coupe in its own right. It is an independent model. It’s not a deviated version of the IS so it has its own unique styling and its own unique performance."

As far as powertrains are concerned, Lexus mentioned the RC 350 featuring a 3.5-liter V6 and the RC 300h with a hybrid unit pairing a 2.5-liter inline four to an electric motor, without providing any other information, so we don't know, for example, if both or only one of these units (V6) will be sold in the States. For the record, both type of engines are available in the IS sedan (the hybrid not in the States).

Lexus didn't say it, but we know for a fact that it is preparing a high-performance F version to go against the BMW M4 (see the spy shots here, and our rendering here).

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New Lexus IS Sports Sedan Starts at $35,950*, Plus New Mega Photo Gallery

A few months after the third generation IS sports sedan's world premiere at the Detroit Motor Show in January, Lexus today released detailed pricing on its BMW 3 Series and Cadillac ATS rival, with the first examples of the car to arrive in dealerships across the States this summer.

Even though Lexus has developed the first hybrid version of the series dubbed IS 300h, this model won't be offered in North America where customers will have a choice of two regular V6 gasoline powertrains, both linked to a standard 6-speed automatic transmission driving either the rear- or all-four wheels, except for the IS 350 RWD that features an 8-speed auto.

Prices, (*) excluding a $950 delivery fee, start from $35,950 for the IS 250 with RWD and $38,485 with AWD, while the IS 350 begins at $39,465 with RWD and $41,700 with AWD.

The starting price for the new 2014MY IS 250 that sports a 2.5-liter V6 delivering 204hp and 185 lb.-ft. of torque is $885 higher than the base 2013 IS250 it replaces. On the other hand, the base price for the 2014MY IS350 that is motivated by a 306HP-strong 3.5-liter V6 is 2.1 percent or $855 lower than the model it replaces.

Standard features across the range include HID headlamps, LED daytime running lights, Drive Mode Select, paddle shifters, a dual zone climate control system, a next-generation Remote Touch Interface, Display Audio, a color 4.2 inch TFT multi-information display and 10 airbags. According to Lexus, the new IS offers more than $1,400 worth of extras equipment over the previous model.

If you want more goods, Lexus offers three packages named Premium, Luxury and F SPORT. The Premium kit includes LED headlamps and heated and ventilated front seats, while the Luxury adds a leather-trimmed interior, wood trim, electrochromic exterior mirrors with reverse tilt, rain-sensing wipers, driver seat memory, a power tilt/telescopic steering wheel, center stack knee pads and Blind Spot Monitor with Rear Cross Traffic Alert.

The F Sport package improves the looks of the car with LED headlamps, and unique bumpers, grille and 18-inch wheels on the outside, plus front sport seats and an LFA-inspired tachometer for the instrument panel, inside. A more aggressive sport-tuned suspension and standard Adaptive Variable Suspension (AVS) with a Sport S+ drive mode round out the upgrades for the F Sport package, which for the first time, is available with the AWD versions of the IS.

2014 LEXUS IS 350 F SPORT

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