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 a scant 500 units finding homes worldwide. Since then, fans have been begging Lexus to bring back their beloved LFA. Well, today is the day.
It’s the new Lexus LFA concept, the first Lexus to wear the LFA badge since 2012. Unfortunately, it’s not ready for production, as the word “concept” indicates. Even more frustrating is what’s under the hood — or, what’s not under the hood.
We’re sorry to report that there’s no screaming V-10 with a 9,500-rpm redline, 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 any performance or battery configuration details. It’s still very much a concept.
The company tries to justify its electric powertrain, saying: “The model name ‘LFA’ is not restricted to vehicles powered by internal combustion engines. It symbolizes a vehicle that embodies the technologies that its engineers must preserve and advance to the next generation.”
Photo by: Lexus
Marketing jargon aside, there are a few things we can glean from this first film. Most importantly, the LFA concept is built around a new lightweight, high-rigidity aluminum chassis. It’s the same chassis that still makes its debut today on the production Toyota GRGT and GT3 race cars. Only the Toyota model gets the twin-turbo V-8 hybrid, not the batteries.
Visually, the new LFA looks almost identical to the sports concept that was revealed at Monterey earlier this year. The body panels are essentially the same, with some minor tweaks here and there that make it look more production-ready. Given that not much has changed (other than the name), there’s reason to believe that the upcoming production version won’t stray too far from that ultimate concept.
Size-wise, the LFA Concept is 185.6 inches long (4,690 mm), 80.3 inches wide (2,040 mm), and has a wheelbase of 107.3 inches (2,725 mm). That means the new LFA is 10 inches longer than its predecessor (177.4 inches) and six inches wider (74.6 inches). It’s big.
We’ve already seen some of the interior, but Lexus gives us an in-depth look at the LFA’s cabin here. It features a cockpit-like design with aggressive detailing that wraps around the driver. A touchscreen is replaced by a cluster of cluster screens, with no central infotainment screen.
There’s still a lot we don’t know about what the production version will look like — or when it’ll even show up — but this concept gives us a good idea of what’s to come. Batteries and all.
