While introducing the new sports car, Lexus Korea CEO Akihisa Yoshida said the Japanese carmaker would rather focus on developing hybrid cars than turning its interest into electric vehicles and hydrogen powered cars.

“About 90 percent of Lexus vehicles offered are hybrid cars,” he said. “We are planning to have more hybrid models in the future,” he said, adding that the carmaker will watch closely with the government’s policy drives on energy and emissions.

Lexus LC 500h is the first car using the automaker’s new automobile platform, which the firm explained as the global architecture for luxury vehicles. The automaker‘s FR platform, or front engine, rear-wheel drive layout, will serve as a basis for LC Coupe models, as well as other Toyota and Lexus models down the road, it added.

The model also has equipped with the high-end Lexus Safety System+, which includes its automatic braking precollision system, lane keeping assist, automatic high beams and dynamic radar cruise control, which can adjust the vehicle’s speed depending on the flow of traffic.

The LC model will be manufactured entirely from the company’s Motomachi plant in Japan.

The LC 500 is priced at 170 million won ($148,000), and the LC 500h at 180 million won, it added.

By Shim Woo-hyun (ws@heraldcorp.com)