Lexus LFA successor to be ‘showcase for the future’

Lexus boss Koji Sato has revealed that the Japanese car-maker’s follow-up to the wild V10-powered Lexus LFA will blend an advanced all-electric powertrain with a new concept for a manual transmission in a bid to boost driver engagement.

Speaking to Top Gear, Sato admitted work on the long-awaited LFA supercar successor – which is due by 2025 – was well underway and confirmed the brand’s upcoming halo model would provide “a showcase for the future of Lexus driving dynamics, expressing the overall Lexus driving signature”.

It’s not been explicitly confirmed, but it’s believed the styling for the reborn Lexus LFA will be inspired by the Lexus Electrified Sport Concept that was shown in December 2021, sporting low-slung looks and accelerating from 0-100km/h in just 2.0 seconds

Despite earlier reports the next LFA would trade its original unhinged 412kW 4.8-litre V10 for a mightier 700kW plug-in hybrid twin-turbo V8, Sato said a battery-electric powertrain was the only way to go for the second instalment of the Lexus supercar, as nothing could match the responses of an electric motor.

“Vehicle response is one of the advantages of the e-motor, the sudden torque is a very unique character with a BEV – the driver can expect a quicker reaction to their input,” he told the Brit mag.

Sato also explained that Lexus was experimenting with what’s been described as a “simulated manual”.

Described as both a “hobby” and “crazy thing”, the Lexus boss says a pseudo manual could provide the engagement between car and driver that most EVs are missing.

Parent Toyota already inadvertently previewed such a transmission earlier this year when a patent for such a system surfaced online.

Back then it revealed that engineers were considering a system that would reintroduce both a clutch pedal and a gear lever into an EV. The tech would then add virtual gear changes that would interrupt the electric motors’ power delivery without any impact of efficiency or range.

Other new tech tipped to head to the advanced Lexus LFA successor includes steer-by-wire and the car-maker’s next-gen torque vectoring.

Active aerodynamics that will either cut drag or maximise downforce will also feature, including aids that use “airflow to control body movement”.

Sato didn’t say whether the Lexus LFA would benefit from Toyota’s next-generation solid-state batteries but the original concept came with an impressive 700km range thanks, in part, to its ultra-lightweight carbon-fibre construction.

However, the Lexus boss did hint at custom-shaped batteries which could be positioned for optimum weight balance that might see the power pack stacked for a lower floor.

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