Lexus teases super sedan ahead of Detroit debut

A year after taking the wraps off a V8 super coupe to challenge the BMW M6, Lexus is returning to the North American International Auto Show with a four-door sedan version that is clearly aiming to take on the BMW M5 too.

Lexus isn't officially giving anything away about the new car, other than confirming that it is an 'F-designed' vehicle (the company's nomenclature for performance models), and releasing two very seriously cropped teaser images -- one of a headlamp and one of the wheel arch.

However, it's an open secret that the company is developing a four-door version of the 5-liter V8 RC F coupé and it is specifically to challenge the best that the Germans have to offer.

Therefore the car, which is expected to deliver over 500bhp will have to be as good, if not better, than not only the latest-generation M5, but also the Audi RS6 and the Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG.

That's a tall order for any car company, but Lexus built its success on challenging the European luxury establishment and on January 13, when the new car is revealed to the world's motoring media in Detroit, we'll know if it's succeeded.