The Lexus LFA was like a shooting star: bright and beautiful, but it burned out quickly. Production lasted just two years, from 2010 to 2012, with only 500 units finding a home worldwide. Since then, fans have been begging Lexus to bring back its beloved LFA. Well, today is the day.
This is the new Lexus LFA Concept, the first Lexus to wear an LFA badge since 2012. Unfortunately, it is not yet ready for production, as the word ‘concept’ indicates. Even more disappointing is what’s under the hood, or what’s not under the hood.
We’re sad to report that there’s no screaming V-10 with a 9,500 RPM redline, and there’s no Yamaha soundtrack; batteries only. That’s right, the new LFA concept is all-electric, and Lexus won’t even go so far as to share details about its performance or battery configuration. This is still a concept.
The company tries to justify its electric powertrain by saying, “The model name ‘LFA’ is not tied to vehicles powered by combustion engines. It symbolizes a vehicle that embodies technologies that engineers must preserve and pass on to the next generation.”
Photo by: Lexus
Marketing jargon aside, there are a few things we can take away from this debut. Most importantly, the LFA concept is built around a new lightweight, high-rigidity aluminum chassis. It is the same chassis that also debuted today on the Toyota GR GT and GT3 production car. Only the Toyota model gets a twin-turbo V-8 hybrid, no batteries.
Visually, the new LFA looks almost identical to the Sport Concept that showed up in Monterey earlier this year. The body panels are basically the same, with a few minor tweaks here and there that make it look production-ready. Considering that not much has changed (other than the name), there’s reason to believe that the upcoming production version won’t stray far from this final concept.
In terms of dimensions, the LFA concept is 185.6 inches long (4,690 millimeters), 80.3 inches wide (2,040 mm) and has a wheelbase of 107.3 inches (2,725 mm). That means this new LFA is about 10 inches longer than its predecessor (177.4 inches) and more than six inches wider (74.6 inches). It’s big.
We’ve already seen some of the interior, but here Lexus gives us an in-depth look at the LFA’s cabin. It features a cockpit-like design with aggressive details that wrap around the driver. Instead of a tactile instrument cluster, there’s a cluster of screens, with no central infotainment screen noticeable.
There’s still a lot we don’t know about what the production version will look like – or when it will even arrive – but this concept gives us a good idea of what’s in store. Batteries and all.
#Lexus #LFA