Image Credit: Captain Electro.
After an eternity of rumor and speculation, accompanied by some rather weak denial attempts, Lexus has finally thrown up its hands and admitted the truth: the new LFA is going to be a Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV for those of you who enjoy acronyms more than driving). I suppose we should be grateful Lexus stopped calling it the "Sport Concept." That sounded like the name of a treadmill, not a half-million-dollar supercar. But here we are, staring at the official concept, and it's time to put on my best 'gently skeptical enthusiast' hat and kick the tires, so to speak.
You remember the original LFA, don't you? That wild, naturally-aspirated V10 symphony? It was pure, loud theater. This new one? It'll sound like a very fast washing machine, I imagine. Lexus hasn't spilled the beans on the exact horsepower, torque, or battery capacity yet. Classic marketing move… "It's so good we can't tell you the numbers yet... mostly because we're still figuring them out."
Image Credit: Lexus.
But given it's a spiritual successor, we can safely assume it will have enough grunt to make your chiropractor very, very happy. Toyota is, however, promising acceleration times that will be properly in the 'blink and you'll miss it' territory - a zero-to-sixty sprint in the low 2-second range has been hinted at. That's less of a launch and more of a temporal displacement.
This whole development story is rather amusing, really. It turns out the car has been hiding in plain sight for months, masquerading as the 'Sport Concept.' It was revealed back at Monterey Car Week in August. Honestly, I'm starting to think Lexus believes in a sort of automotive witness protection program. What we do know is that this electrified LFA is being developed alongside Toyota's new GR GT and the proper, fire-breathing GR GT3 race car. It's a full-on corporate family outing, only one cousin is electric, one is a hybrid twin-turbo V-8 lunatic, and the other is a dedicated racer.
Image Credit: Lexus.
The shared genetics are obvious, though. The silhouette is classic long hood, short rear deck perfection, and they all share an all-aluminum structure with those rather clever "megacastings" supporting the suspension at each corner. The wheelbase is identical to the GR GT at a spacious 107.3 inches, which should keep things nice and stable when you're attempting to outrun a very keen highway patrol officer.
But the LFA concept is a bit of a shrimp next to the GR GT. It's shorter overall, coming in at about 184.6 inches long versus the GT's 189.8 inches. Crucially, though, it's a bit of a broad-shouldered chap, measuring 80.3 inches wide, which is over an inch wider than its sibling's 78.7 inches. And to ensure you feel connected to the asphalt, the whole thing stands just 47 inches tall. You'll need a shoehorn and a small crane to get in and out, but that's just part of the charm of a proper supercar, isn't it?
Image Credit: Lexus.
The production version of the LFA is still a couple of years out - we expect the GR GT to arrive first, sometime in late 2026 - Lexus is staying predictably quiet about the final sticker price. They have, however, made it abundantly clear this will be a "six-figure price that's unobtainable for most people." The GR GT is rumored to be knocking on the door of half a million U.S. dollars. If history is any guide, the LFA badge adds a certain level of "oh dear God" to the final bill. So, I think it's safe to say you'll need to start saving your pennies now - or maybe rob a small, non-violent bank…
What are you getting for your sizable investment, besides the ability to quietly obliterate most things on four wheels? Lexus is focusing on what they call "Discover Immersion," which sounds like a very posh way of saying "you'll feel like you're actually driving." They've put huge effort into a low center of gravity and a rigid structure, which are the petrolhead's equivalent of a hearty handshake and a perfectly cooked steak.
Image Credit: Lexus.
Inside is where the future truly elbows the past out of the way. The concept's interior, which we got a peek at back at the Tokyo Auto Show, is a minimalist's dream, or a maximalist's nightmare, depending on your view of switchgear. The star of the show is the ideal driving position, a phrase Lexus repeats with the solemnity of a wedding vow. It's designed to be the center of attention, with a large driver display spitting out all the critical data.
And then there's that most divisive of futuristic components: the yoke-style steering wheel. I've had my reservations about these peculiar half-wheels, but Lexus claims it's "tuned so that the driver doesn't have to use hand-over-hand motions." This means it'll either have a steering rack that's quicker than a pickpocket at a carnival, or there's no steering rack at all, and we get steer-by-wire instead. Clustered around this oddly-shaped wheel is simple switchgear, including a rotary gear selector - a merciful concession to simplicity - and the rather intriguing "F-mode" and "Custom" paddle-like buttons. What F-mode is exactly, I can't say for sure, but I suspect it stands for "Fun" or perhaps "Frighteningly Fast." Either way, I approve.
Image Credit: Lexus.
The original LFA was a fire-breathing beast that pushed the limits of internal combustion. Its electric reincarnation is taking on a whole new set of challenges, exploring the "potential that is unique to BEVs," which, at least to me, means "brutal torque and insane acceleration." I'm still a bit wistful for the scream of that V10, but if this new electric LFA can deliver even half the thrill of its ancestor, then I guess I'll have to grudgingly concede: well played, Lexus.
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