The Lexus LC Convertible has been named the best luxury car of 2021 in the Women's World Car of the Year awards.
The Lexus LC 500 Convertible has been named the best luxury car of 2021 in the Women’s World Car of the Year (WWCOTY) awards. Lexus' first soft-top model is among nine category winners recognised for their excellence in their segment, taking into account qualities including safety, comfort and technology.
As a category winner, it now goes forward for consideration for the Best Car of the Year title, to be announced by WWCOTY on 8 March, International Women’s Day.
This is the 11th year for the WWCOTY awards, judged by a team of 50 motoring journalists from 38 countries spanning five continents. It is the only jury in the automotive world composed exclusively of women.
Among the judges, Marta Garcia (Spain), WWCOTY Executive President, remarked: "The Lexus LC 500 Convertible is a delightful madness to dream about, a car to add to the bucket list. It retains all the passion of classic sports cars, the ones that didn’t need tricks or turbos to make you fall in love."
Anat Daniel (Israel) commented on how the mixture of luxury with "Japanese sportiness" and a "magnificent" engine helps make this a "unique and unforgettable car," while Charleen Clarke (South Africa) declared it "brilliant to drive."
The LC Convertible – following the example set by its sister Coupe model – perfectly captures the spirit of Lexus’ evolution as a luxury lifestyle brand, providing discerning customers with driving pleasure, unique design and superb craftsmanship quality.
The scene was set for the LC Convertible when a concept version was revealed at the Detroit motor show in 2019, showing how Chief Designer Tadao Mori and his team had succeeded in translating the award-winning design of the Coupe into an equally stylish and desirable soft-top, following the principle of "ultimate beauty." Only minimal changes were made for the production version, which was launched in world markets during 2020 and took its place as an aspirational, halo model for the entire Lexus line-up.
The designers focused on making a car that looks equally stunning with the roof up or down, applying Lexus’ famous attention to detail in areas such as the folding top mechanism to achieve the ideal lines without compromising cabin comfort or load space.
The LC Convertible also delivers Lexus' "exhilarating performance," thanks to its 5.0-litre V8 engine and 10-speed Direct Shift automatic transmission, matching the Convertible with a 270 km/h top speed (electronically limited). Acceleration to 0-100 km/h can be accomplished in just five seconds, while precise aerodynamic styling prevents any uncomfortable wind buffeting when travelling at speed.
The cabin is beautifully appointed, finished in high-quality materials throughout and reflecting Lexus’ human-centred philosophy in its design, comfort and multi-sensory appeal.
For 2021, WWCOTY adopted a new voting methodology by which the three best models in each category were selected before determining the individual winners. Eligible vehicles were launched between January and December 2020. As in previous years, votes were certified by the independent auditor Grant Thornton New Zealand.
For more information about WWCOTY, please visit https://www.womensworldcoty.com/.
