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Lexus LC 500 ‘Shooting Brake’ Is All About L-Shaped Digital Finesse and V8 Grunt

Lexus, Toyota’s luxury vehicle division, is a remarkably interesting case of dwelling both in a traditional, glorious past and at the same time always looking ahead toward a brighter future.
Lexus LC 500 Shooting Brake rendering by sugardesign_1 11 photos
Photo: sugardesign_1 / Instagram
Lexus LC 500 Shooting Brake rendering by sugardesign_1Lexus LC 500 Shooting Brake rendering by sugardesign_1Lexus LC 500 Shooting Brake rendering by sugardesign_1Lexus LC 500 Shooting Brake rendering by sugardesign_1Lexus LC 500 Shooting Brake rendering by sugardesign_1Lexus LC 500 Shooting Brake rendering by sugardesign_1Lexus LC 500 Shooting Brake rendering by sugardesign_1Lexus LC 500 Shooting Brake rendering by sugardesign_1Lexus LC 500 Shooting Brake rendering by sugardesign_1Lexus LC 500 Shooting Brake rendering by sugardesign_1
Japan’s biggest premium brand, this automaker is constantly ranked among the most beloved, reliable, and ritzy marques originating from the Land of the Rising Sun. It has a huge market value at a global level, operates from centers in Japan, Belgium, and Texas (U.S.), and was originally intended as a competitor for both Honda and Nissan’s Acura and Infiniti luxury divisions, respectively, as well as a way to better grasp the North American market.

Consider this – although it was founded in 1989, almost 35 years ago, with its first product being the Lexus LS full-size limousine, the brand was not available at home in Japan until 2005. Alas, that did not stop the company from showering the critical United States market with more sedan, coupe, convertible, and SUV models after the arrival of the ubiquitous LS. And today the range is well represented, starting from the little UX Hybrid and culminating with the $113,935 LS Hybrid, of course.

Notice how everything starts and ends with an electrified vehicle? Just like its parent Toyota, Lexus has been keen to embrace the potential of electrification to attract new customers and offer a more sustainable alternative to ICEs. Alas, the brand was equally slow to innovate in the field, and today is playing catch-up to other premium brands with new entries such as the $58,665 NX Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle or the upcoming RX 450e plus that string of concept vehicles hinting at a fully electrified future. But how about innovation in the current range?

Lexus has always had a well-defined model family, with sedans, coupes, convertibles, and CUVs plus SUVs. But one thing it has stayed clear from is not even the high-performance stratosphere (remember the Lexus LFA?) but rather the mundane grocery-getting station wagon. It was not necessarily below their dignity (although it might have played a factor in the decision) but rather something that Americans were already drifting apart from when the premium Japanese brand came to life and started expanding its roster.

Lexus LC 500 Shooting Brake rendering by sugardesign_1
Photo: sugardesign_1 / Instagram
As such, you can have a 472-hp IS 500 sedan (at $58,670) or RC F coupe (at $67,845) with a high-revving 5.0-liter V8, a $62,750 RX 500h with 366 hybrid ponies and Direct4 AWD, plus an entire LC grand tourer series as sporty offerings, but nothing for the soccer mum or hockey dad to go shopping at the local mall. Sure, many would argue that, if money is of no concern, one can always have a big SUV for the entire family as a daily and a neat coupe or convertible for the weekends, so a station wagon would be more than superfluous.

Alas, that is of no concern for certain people, especially those dwelling across the imaginative realm of virtual automotive artists. Over there, folks such as Sugar Chow, the digital car content creator better known as sugardesign_1 on social media, who is finally back to Western CGI affairs after a trio of oriental projects, can always enjoy a “Touring the world!” periplus and get away with it. Well, frankly, just about anything was better after one-too-many Chinese car projects.

So, the pixel master dropped the latest ‘Hongqi H9 Charisma Prototype SD Special’ stately limousine idea (no worries, you can still see it embedded second below if you’re curious) in favor of another Shooting Brake/hatchback project of Asian origin. This time around, though, it’s not something as adventurous as a Honda Civic Type R Crosstour or Toyota GR86 Cruiser but rather more relaxed and ready to bring ‘L-Finesse’ into the CGI fol. Thus, behold the ritzy Lexus LC Shooting Brake!

Just in case you were wondering, this is how the CGI expert shows his love for everything that rhymes with a station wagon and Shooting Brake. And it sure does not look like a grocery getter, but rather as something that would look great both on the red carpet at a gala premiere as well as on a remote island retreat. Unfortunately, it is merely wishful thinking, of course. And, in case you were wondering, it is not even ‘sustainable.’ Instead, it is completely traditional, as it is based on the LC 500 with its 5.0-liter 2UR-GSE V8 shared with the RC F and GS F and capable of churning out 472 hp when paired to a ten-speed automatic transmission.





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About the author: Aurel Niculescu
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Aurel has aimed high all his life (literally, at 16 he was flying gliders all by himself) so in 2006 he switched careers and got hired as a writer at his favorite magazine. Since then, his work has been published both by print and online outlets, most recently right here, on autoevolution.
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