The RC Coupe was actually designed from the onset to accommodate a convertible variant — in fact, the center section of the car’s chassis was derived from the last-gen IS C — but Lexus has squashed the idea of a low-volume drop top in favor of a three-row SUV.
Although the RC Convertible has been a long time in the making, Lexus ultimately decided to kill the project after fielding complaints from its dealer body. Truth be told, convertibles make up just 1 percent of U.S. sales while deliveries of utility vehicles continue to soar.
Dealers have been clamoring for a three-row SUV to sit atop the RX for some time, and the death of the RC Convertible has apparently cleared the way for that vehicle. According to Motor Trend, Lexus has diverted its resources from the RC Convertible to developing an Audi Q7 rival.
Lexus originally toyed with the idea of using a stretched version of the Toyota Highlander as the basis for its new utility model, but scrapped that idea due to scaling issues. Instead, Lexus will base the new vehicle — which could sport the GX badge — on the same rear-wheel drive architecture that will underpin the next-generation LS.
Lexus’ larger utility vehicle is still a few years off, but the three-row SUV should land on dealer lots sometime in 2017 as a 2018 model year.
Live images by Brian Williams.
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