Lexus has been a patient player in the Indian automobile industry. And yet, it has six products in the portfolio, covering everything from SUVs to a sports car. It is the latter category that has just been made more enticing. How? By this – the LC 500h Limited Edition. It costs Rs 2.16 crore, which makes it about Rs 6 lakh dearer than the standard car.

So, how does the newcomer justifies the price difference? By packing some exclusive design elements, inside and out. The LC 500h Limited Edition dons 21-inch forged wheels, which look great and, as per Lexus, lower the co-efficient of drag. At the back, there’s a wing made from carbon-fibre reinforced plastic. Lexus claims that it helps improve steering responsiveness. The new variant also boasts carbon-fibre scuff plates with ‘LC Limited Edition’ and ‘Lexus’ letterings. Indoors, it takes the sporty quotient higher with black Alcantara seats that feature Saddle Tan accents. Even the seat belts, steering wheel, shift lever and door panels hide behind the same material.

Powering the LC 500h is a hybrid propulsion system. That consists of a 3.5-litre V6 petrol engine, an electric motor and a CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission). All on its own, the fossil-fuel-powered mill pumps out 295bhp/348Nm. Those figures for the electric motor are 177bhp/300Nm. With a total system output of 354bhp, the low-slung sports coupe can hit 100kmph from a standstill in 4.7 seconds and reach 250kmph at full blast.

Features? It has several. The list includes two-zone automatic climate control, a 10.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system, heated and powered ORVMs with memory function, auto-dimming IRVM and powered seats. Falling under the safety and assistance systems category are features like rear cross-traffic alert, a blind-spot monitor, tyre pressure monitoring system, hill-start assist and adaptive cruise control. Lexus is offering the LC 500h Limited Edition in three colours – white, silver and black.

In India, the Lexus LC 500h competes with formidable products like the Porsche 911 and the Jaguar F-Type. If you had to pick, which one would it be?