Good morning and thank you for making time to be with us today.
 
It occurs to me that I'm a new face to many of you. Ironically I feel like I'm returning home. 
 
You see I grew up in Detroit. I spent the better part of the 1960's just down the road off of Telegraph from grade school to high school. And my father worked just around the corner in a building called the "Glass House." 
 
Most memorable for me was the 3 year period my father worked directly for Carroll Shelby. It literally defined my destiny. 
 
Picture a 10 year-old with his father going for a ride in a Shelby Cobra. That was it for me. That was the moment I fell in love with cars and the automobile industry. 
 
There were so many amazing performance statistics about the 427 cubic inch Cobra but for me the fact that the car could accelerate from 0 to 100 MPH then back to 0 in about 14.5 seconds that was rarified air in 1965 and still is today. 
 
More than a few cars can better that but the Cobra was a great example of Detroit performance.
 
OK …now advance forward almost 50 years and here we are today celebrating several special occasions. 
 
First, the 25th anniversary for the "North American International Auto Show" and second, it’s the 25th anniversary of Lexus as well. 
 
It was January of 1989 when Lexus made its public debut right here at the North American International Auto Show. 
 
We introduced two vehicles the LS and ES.  
 
Of course we've added several vehicles to our line-up since then including CT, IS, GS and our Luxury Utility Vehicles the RX, GX, and LX.
 
And now we're truly excited to add more product performance to the Industry.
 
At Lexus we use the "F" mark to designate performance and it began with the IS F.
 
In 2008 our engineers fit a V8 into our near luxury IS sedan.
 
We were confident in the V8 as it had won three consecutive Daytona races in the Rolex Daytona Prototype Series.
 
Then our own exotic, the V10 550 horsepower LFA, which by the way accelerates from 0-100 and back to 0 like that of a Shelby Cobra, maybe a little faster.
 
Just over a month ago at the Tokyo Motor Show we revealed an all-new 2015 Lexus RC Coupe available with two powertrains
– the 2.5 liter hybrid,
– and the 3.5 liter V6. 
 
Now I'd like to introduce to you our third powertrain. Ladies and gentlemen please welcome the newest addition to our stable of high performance luxury, the 2015 Lexus RC F.
 
 
The RC F is powered by a 5.0-liter normally aspirated V8 engine with more than 450 horsepower and more than 383 pound feet of torque. 
 
This is the fastest and most powerful V8 yet for Lexus.
 
A first for Lexus, this V8 includes Atkinson and Otto cycle to optimize fuel efficiency and performance.
 
Atkinson optimizes fuel efficiency at lower speeds and Otto cycle kicks in when needed
for performance.
 
The power is managed by an eight-speed transmission. 
 
To help optimize driving dynamics the RC F features an active wing like that on the LFA to increase downforce and improve grip over the rear 19-inch wheels. 
 
The hood includes a functional vent to decrease aerodynamic lift and of course there’s
our most expressive spindle grille yet. 
 
In addition the RC F includes a Torque Vectoring Differential. As opposed to systems that react to loss of traction like ABS our Torque Vectoring Differential proactively manages traction in, through and out of corners. 
 
Inside, the instrument panel inspired by the LFA includes a seven-inch navigation screen. 
 
You'll find a touchpad interface. It's a Lexus first and works much like a touchpad on a laptop or mobile device.
 
Swipe your finger over the touchpad to operate systems like
– climate control,
– navigation,
– and media selections.
 
The RC F along with the RC 350 go on sale later this fall. 
 
We project total U.S. RC retail volume to equal 1,400 per month. 
 
The RC 350 and RC F along with our LF-NX concept LUV will be staged at our Lexus display.
 
And by the way the RC F is only the next addition of more Lexus performance to come. 
 
At this time we'd like to recognize three special guests with us today:
– The Chief Engineer of the RC F Mr. Yaguchi,
– The Chief Designer of the RC F Mr. Kajino,
– And a gentleman many of you already know now a Managing Officer of Toyota Motor Corporation and Executive Vice President of Lexus International, Mr. Mark Templin.
 
Now I'd like to ask Yaguchi-san, Kajino-san, and Mark to join me on stage to answer any questions you may have. 
 
Additionally we'd like to invite any photographers on stage first for pictures then any media for Q&A.
 
Please enjoy the rest of the Auto Show!!!