It may not be the exquisite LF-LC Blue concept that just debuted in Australia, but Lexus will be heading to the 2012 SEMA Show with its LF-CC Coupe concept that was revealed last month at the 2012 Paris Motor Show.

The LF-CC Coupe concept will join the Lexus LFA Nurburgring Edition at this year’s show in Las Vegas, showing off its 2.5-liter, four-cylinder hybrid powertrain. The 2012 SEMA Show will be the North American debut of the Lexus LF-CC Concept.

Lexus has trademarked RC 350 in Australia, which could hint at the very first details of the production coupe based on the LF-CC concept.

Let’s break down the name digit-by-digit:

R: While trying to guess what the R stands for is pure guesswork, it does provide one key detail — this new coupe will stand on its own as a separate model, and not be tied together with either the IS or GS.

C: No mystery here — C is for coupe.

350: The 3.5L 2GR-FSE V6 is a workhorse — the same engine from the IS 350 & GS 350 will be offered with this new coupe. This would also indicate a coupe based on the LF-CC and not the LF-LC — I don’t think the production LF-LC would be offered with a V6.

This discovery comes only days after NX 200t & NX 300h were discovered in North American and Australian trademark databases, and suggest that a massive expansion of the Lexus lineup over the next couple years.

(FYI: The RC 350 trademark was filed in Australia on November 2, 2012, under #1524186.)

Compared to its German rivals the Lexus product portfolio doesn’t have much depth and lacks any vehicles with true sex appeal, though that’s about to change says marketing boss Brian Bolain.

When asked about the timing of the close rollout of two coupe concepts, the LF-CC and LF-LC, Bolain responded that the focus on two-doors is, “very intentional,” admitting that right now the company sees its absence in those segments as, “our biggest deficiency.”

While Bolain extolls the virtues of the Lexus brand, ranging from everything to quality and reliability, to customer service and luxuriously appointed interiors, he admits that two areas Lexus is currently lacking in are design and performance. “How do you quickly add an emotional element to a brand,” he asks? “With coupes.”

Commenting that since the SC was retired in 2010, apart from the lofty and limited LFA, Lexus has no coupe in its lineup. “We definitely have a void there today,” he says, commenting that without such a car (or cars) it’s “hard to be taken seriously from a performance perspective.”

Pointing towards the future, Bolain highlights the LF-CC and the LF-LC Concepts, the former a strong indication of the next-generation IS, as well as new coupe model that could wear the RC badge. As for the latter, if approved for production (which it’s all but certain to), it would sit at the upper scale of the Lexus brand, as a serious luxury and performance machine. In fact, Lexus recently announced it would be powered by a “next-generation” hybrid drivetrain capable of producing 500 hp.

How Lexus plans to achieve that output remains a mystery though the next-gen hybrid system could be one that finally makes the switch to more advanced lithium-ion technology, which produces more power from a smaller and lighter package. Bolain confirmed that the LF-LC isn’t yet confirmed for production, though the, “outcry has been tremendous.” Bolain also says that while Lexus has, “no timeline for the introduction of lithium ion,” the brand hopes to have it confirmed for when (and if) the LF-LC coupe makes it into production.

Two-door planning at Lexus does, however, stop with these two cars says Bolain. When asked if the Toyota luxury brand might consider an additional model, perhaps to compete with cars like the Mercedes SLK or BMW Z4, he commented that Lexus has no plans to, “flood the market with coupes.” If the LF-CC and LF-LC both make it to production, he says, “we’ve got good coverage.”

Autocar is reporting that a coupe based on the Lexus LF-CC has been approved for production:

First seen at the Paris show in September this year, the LF-CC is expected to morph into a showroom model by 2015.

Autocar understands that a senior Lexus engineer has been assigned to the project and serious work will start on the production engineering at the beginning of 2013.

The new sports model is likely to come in both cabrio and fixed-head forms and is thought to be based on the same rear-drive platform as the new IS and GS models, probably using the IS’s shorter wheelbase and the GS’s wider track.

This echoes details shared by Lexus International president Kiyotaka Ise in a news.com.au interview last month, although Ise-san did suggest that this new coupe would be released by 2014, not 2015. When released, it’s expected that the model will be named the Lexus RC.
Also mentioned is Lexus’s possible compact crossover:

The source also admitted that the company was seriously studying building a compact SUV similar in concept to Land Rover’s Evoque. However, the idea was ‘still being considered’ mainly because of the doubts that such a model would fit in with Lexus’s future direction.

While surprising that Lexus has yet to release a compact crossover, it’s hard to believe that the delay is due to the model being a poor fit — SUVs are not about to disappear from the lineup, and a smaller, sportier crossover is a natural extension of Lexus’s performance direction.

(More likely, the issue is cannibalizing sales of the more-expensive RX, which is the best selling Lexus model in the world.)

The dramatic Lexus LF-CC coupe, which appeared at this week’s LA show, is heading for production Autocar can reveal. First seen at the Paris show in September this year, the LF-CC is expected to morph into a showroom model by 2015.

Autocar understands that a senior Lexus engineer has been assigned to the project and serious work will start on the production engineering at the beginning of 2013. A Lexus source said the company wanted to build a car that was ‘exciting and emotional’ and reflected the future image Lexus image as ‘sporting’ brand.

The source also admitted that the company was seriously studying building a compact SUV similar in concept to Land Rover’s Evoque. However, the idea was ‘still being considered’ mainly because of the doubts that such a model would fit in with Lexus’s future direction.

The new sports model is likely to come in both cabrio and fixed-head forms and is thought to be based on the same rear-drive platform as the new IS and GS models, probably using the IS’s shorter wheelbase and the GS’s wider track.

Like all Lexus models, the production car will be a hybrid, most likely using a tweaked version of the GS’s 350h drivetrain, which currently offers 300bhp. The production styling is thought to be close to this LF-CC concept car, itself a more viable version of the outlandish LF-LC concept, which also appeared at the LA show albeit in fresh paint.

Lexus sources said that the company wanted to slot the new car into the space vacated by the old SC coupe-convertible, which was discontinued in 2010. Lexus’s first SC coupe was launched in 1991. The US will be the most important market for the new car. It is too early in the development process to know whether the car will be offered in the UK.