Photo: BMW
You probably noticed this week that Lexus is testing what most people call the IS Coupe. However, that car you saw in everyone's spyshots is not called IS Coupe but RC, due to Lexus' rebranding strategy.
This move is definitely not surprising for the BMW community, as few of Lexus' move have been so far. Ever since the IS was released back in 1998 it tried to keep up with the reigning king of sports sedans, the 3 Series.
Over 15 years of agonizing pain, the IS failed miserably at this task but it continued to evolve reaching the AD 2013. This time, the new model seems to be hot on the trail of the F30 3 Series and that is commendable.
A move on the 4 Series was also predictable. After all, Lexus is trying to compete with BMW in every segment. However, we didn't expect the Japanese company to follow in BMW's footsteps even in marketing branding issues.
Their rebranding of what is the IS Coupe in RC is definitely the same move BMW did with the 4er, to bring further exclusivity and brand recognition for the new model. A high-performance model is also rumored to follow, to fight with the M4.
In this regard things are bound to get spicy. It's not only that the M4 will definitely be a great car (it has to replace the most popular BMW ever made, the M3 Coupe) but the RC has the bigger brother, LFA in its corner. That is no joke.
The LFA is definitely worth of supercar status and impressed everyone that ever got to ride in it. It is so advanced and so high-tech that Lexus is actually losing money with every model it sells (and they are not cheap).
On the other hand, BMW might not have a proper supercar at the moment (even though the M6 does come pretty close to that status) but what they do have is over 40 years of M division experience, that will surely prove decisive in the battle with the RC.
What will come? No one knows, but we're surely excited about the two new cars and the war between them.
Over 15 years of agonizing pain, the IS failed miserably at this task but it continued to evolve reaching the AD 2013. This time, the new model seems to be hot on the trail of the F30 3 Series and that is commendable.
A move on the 4 Series was also predictable. After all, Lexus is trying to compete with BMW in every segment. However, we didn't expect the Japanese company to follow in BMW's footsteps even in marketing branding issues.
Their rebranding of what is the IS Coupe in RC is definitely the same move BMW did with the 4er, to bring further exclusivity and brand recognition for the new model. A high-performance model is also rumored to follow, to fight with the M4.
In this regard things are bound to get spicy. It's not only that the M4 will definitely be a great car (it has to replace the most popular BMW ever made, the M3 Coupe) but the RC has the bigger brother, LFA in its corner. That is no joke.
The LFA is definitely worth of supercar status and impressed everyone that ever got to ride in it. It is so advanced and so high-tech that Lexus is actually losing money with every model it sells (and they are not cheap).
On the other hand, BMW might not have a proper supercar at the moment (even though the M6 does come pretty close to that status) but what they do have is over 40 years of M division experience, that will surely prove decisive in the battle with the RC.
What will come? No one knows, but we're surely excited about the two new cars and the war between them.
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