Lexus Trademarks RC F Name: New Performance Coupe In The Works?

Lexus is understood to have secured the trademark for the name 'RC F', mere months after news of the badge 'RC 350' surfaced online.

Reports of a new coupe have been circulating for more than a year, and Lexus Australia boss Tony Cramb has also hinted at a new two-door. 

If Lexus is preparing a new RC coupe, it stands to reason that the RC F would enter as a flagship model in the vein of the current IS F sedan. 

Lexus trademarking the name is far from confirmation however, with many brands registering names that have yet to appear in showrooms. The process is often used simply to ensure access to the name later, and to keep it from other brands. 

Prestige-segment coupes represent recognisable hero models with buyers, and the two-door variants in the BMW 3 Series, Mercedes-Benz C-Class and Audi A5 families are all strong sellers. 

If a new Lexus coupe is in the works, it remains unclear if it will be based on the brand-new IS, the larger GS, or - as the RC name suggests - a separate model all together. 

Lexus would not be alone in taking that path, with BMW preparing to launch its new 4 Series Coupe and Convertible models, separate to the 3 Series Sedan and Touring wagon. 

“We did confirm that the LF-CC show car is the basis for a D-segment coupe in the future, but we didn't confirm that it's necessarily IS-related,”  Lexus Australia's Tony Cramb told TMR.