THE biennial Tokyo motor show opens today with Japanese carmakers reasserting themselves globally, but the event itself losing importance next to the huge annual shows in China.

Timing this year is especially unfortunate for Tokyo, with rival events in Guangzhou and Los Angeles also this week.

Some European brands with luxury cars to launch, such as Jaguar with the hardtop version of its F-type sportscar, have chosen to reveal vehicles at LA and Tokyo simultaneously, which is possible thanks to the time difference.

However, Toyota's luxury arm Lexus focused on its home show to unveil one of its most important new cars in the RC, a premium coupe that should reach Australia in about a year.

The four-seater two-door gives the Japanese brand something to pitch against the German junior executive models that dominate the segment, typified by the BMW 3 Series.

"It will give us incremental sales, but the RC is more about what it does for the brand," Lexus Australia chief Sean Hanley said.

The RC appeared at a preview event that hammered home the brand's "amazing in motion" slogan and demonstrated its commitment to expanding its range with the second version of a concept called LF-NX, which will eventually be a small SUV to compete in the globe's fastest-growing segment.

Toyota's own hit sportscar, the 86, appears in convertible form for the second time at a major show, although it has yet to be confirmed for production.

Desirable cars will also be on pole at other brands, with Nissan due to show the most extreme version yet of its budget supercar, the GT-R, and the replacement for its 370Z sportscar.

Nissan also has a new sportscar in the BladeGlider, with a radical swept wing design and one-plus-two seating. Powered by electric motors the narrow front and wide rear "reduces drag while generating downforce to enhance manoeuvrability," it says.

A senior Lexus engineer has let slip that a new V8-powered version of the RC Coupe will debut at the 2014 Detroit motor show.

The Japanese brand’s new coupe has already been confirmed to be offered with a four-cylinder hybrid and petrol V6 powertrains, but Lexus IS chief engineer Junichi Furuyama says a V8 model will make its first appearance at the first major motor show of 2014.

Furuyama-san says the new model - which is expected to wear the RC F badge - will boast different styling to the regular RC coupe, including a “bulging” bonnet line to accommodate the 5.0-litre V8.

“To give the V8, we need some changes, especially in the engine room,” Furuyama-san says. “For example, IS F has a unique [bonnet line]. The V8 is very big. This cannot accommodate a V8, so we need to change the styling.”

Furuyama-san also suggested the new RC coupe may differ slightly in production guise, despite Lexus suggesting the new model was a production-ready vehicle prior to its unveiling at this week's Tokyo motor show.

As the international press kit states: “Lexus designers have infused the RC design with deeply contoured lines never before seen in the Lexus line-up”, and it appears some of those lines won’t make it to the actual car. Furuyama-san says the RC shown is “almost” how the production version will look.

“I want to produce it exactly the same as this car,” he says. “But there is some difficult portions to produce. We need a little adjustment for mass production,” he states, before pointing out that the sharply creased panel line from the door to the tail-light may be toned down on the real deal.

However, he indicates the lines may change even further, as a convertible model may be less than two years away from production, despite a drop-top version being “a little bit difficult”.

“We are preparing - if we decided to provide the convertible from this model, it is possible from an engineering perspective,” Furuyama-san says of the extra structural bracing under the body of the car, which has been developed with a potential drop-top in mind as a replacement to the ageing IS250C. As a result of the extra body-stiffening, he says the RC Coupe is actually heavier than the IS sedan on which it is based, despite being shorter and wider.

But he claims “there is no actual plan”, and that he has “no idea on a hard- or soft-top”.

“The main purpose of the RC is ... to create an aggressive image of our brand. The coupe is suitable for that purpose compared with a convertible. A convertible is really for older people,” he says, “the coupe is for a younger person.”

The Lexus RC coupe will debut at the Tokyo Motor Show today, and I will be in the Big Sight convention center with live coverage throughout the day.

The press conference will also be broadcast live starting at 6:30pm EST/3:30pm PST — here’s the video player:

Just the Facts:
The prototype 2015 Lexus RC Coupe will get a center console with a next-generation Remote Touch Interface.
In place of the current mouselike interface, it appears that Lexus is going with a touchpad set-up divided into four quadrants.
The updated Remote Touch Interface is designed to help drivers to control automobile technologies and pay more attention to the road.

TOKYO — The prototype 2015 Lexus RC Coupe will get a center console with a next-generation Remote Touch Interface. The RC Coupe debuts on November 20 at the 2013 Tokyo Auto Show.

The coupe is designed to serve as the next "halo" car for the Lexus brand. It fills the hole in the lineup left by the Lexus SC Coupe and the Lexus LFA supercar. The new Remote Touch Interface is a critical part of the equation, since it may find its way into future Lexus vehicles as well.

In place of the current mouselike interface, it appears that Lexus is going with a touchpad setup divided into four quadrants. Hard buttons are still used for the Home and Menu buttons.

The updated Remote Touch Interface is designed to help drivers control automobile technologies and pay more attention to the road.

The first Lexus Remote Touch system was available on the 2010 Lexus RX and HS 250h. When it was introduced, the company said the concept was to help alleviate the driver's "mental load."

"There's a breaking point — a boundary where too many vehicle systems prevent the addition of new innovations, or worse yet, diminish the driver's on-the-road focus," Lexus said.

It called Remote Touch "one of those breakthroughs that just may usher in a new industry standard."

In the first application, the driver has a fixed hand controller on the low center console — a kind of wide joystick that fits under the palm or fingers. The device allows the driver to quickly navigate through the menu of vehicle systems.

Edmunds says: Lexus has yet to demonstrate how the new Remote Touch Interface works, but it should be a step in the right direction.

The Lexus RC coupe has made its long-awaited official debut at the 2013 Tokyo Motor Show.

Set to launch next year, the RC coupe will initially launch with two flavors: a 3.5-liter V6-equipped version and a hybrid version featuring a 2.5-liter powerplant. The 3.5-liter V6 engine will provide 314 hp and 280 lb-ft of torque to the stylish sports car while the hybrid will have a total system output of 217 hp and 163 lb-ft of torque. The naturally aspirated RC 350 will come with an eight-speed Sport Direct Shift with paddle shift transmission, adapted from the IS F performance sedan.

The RC coupe is actually based on the GS platform, though some will be quick to call it an IS coupe. In fact, the coupe differs in all dimensions compared to the GS and IS sedan models. Compared to the IS sedan, the RC coupe is 1.2-inches wider, 1.4-inches lower and 2.8-inches shorter in wheelbase. Inside, the cockpit is divided into operational and display zones. The upper zone houses an instrument panel and a seven-inch navigation screen while the center console sports the Lexus-first Remote Touch Interface.

According to the Japanese automaker, the RC coupe will be offered in both rear- and all-wheel drive but availability will depend on the market.

“Our focus is to strengthen the brand’s emotional appeal through our products and RC is another demonstration of this focus,” said Mark Templin, Lexus International executive vice president. “The emotional attachment of a coupe is found in its purity of design and its engaging driving experience, and with RC the engineers have achieved the balance.”

We’re on the ground floor here at the Tokyo Motor Show 2013, where Lexus has just introduced its new RC coupe, a snazzy red beast that is slated to launch next year. Unlike some other models, the RC coupe is its own standalone offering rather than being a derivative of an existing two-door sedan, and builds upon some changes Lexus kicked off with its IS sport sedan and GS mid-size sedan.

Lexus plans to make the RC available in two powertrains, a 2.5-liter Hybrid Drive and a 3.5-liter V6 with an 8-speed sequential transmission. This is rounded out by a choice of either 5-spoke 18-inch wheels or 10-spoke 19-inch wheels. The exterior design stands out among Lexus’s other models, as well, with a width that measures in at 1.2-inches wider than the IS sedan, as well as sitting 2.8-inches shorter and 1.4-inches lower in the wheelbase.

The RC offers both updated Spot Monitor and new Remote Touch Interface technologies, and is the first in Lexus’s lineup to offer a revised Blind Spot Monitor system that spots cars at greater distances and higher speeds than before. The under body has extra-thick under body rocker panels, and the entire thing is rounded out with a high-contrast interior with wood highlights, upwards-reflected illumination, and more.

Said Lexus International’s Executive Vice President Mark Templin, “Our focus is to strengthen the brand’s emotional appeal through our products and RC is another demonstration of this focus. The emotional attachment of a coupe is found in its purity of design and its engaging driving experience, and with RC the engineers have achieved the balance.”