Photo: James Edition
Lexus. An automaker born from Toyota’s ambition to outdo Mercedes-Benz at its own game. In its 28 years of existence, Lexus churned out countless comfy sedans and soft-sprung SUVs, but nothing came close to the LFA in terms of sheer performance. And to this day, the front-engine ruffian continues to fascinate.
The design is undoubtedly one of the biggest selling points of the LFA. But the most attractive element of the Lexus-branded supercar is the 4.8-liter V10 of the naturally aspirated variety, which screams in anger to 9,500 rpm. With 560 horsepower and 480 Nm (354 pound-feet) of torque on tap, even the lower segment of the supercar market has the LFA outperformed. But if specialness were the primary differentiator, you will obviously choose the LFA over the likes of the McLaren 570S, Mercedes-AMG GT R, and the Audi R8.
Exquisite flamboyance is what makes Lexus’ icon attract with the force magnets are attracted to metal, and the Japanese automaker knows that it could use another halo vehicle in the lineup. The LC 500 is good, but not LFA good, while the likes of the RC F and GS F aren’t too rewarding from a keen driver’s point of view. Adding insult to injury, the Motomachi plant in Aichi, Japan now manufactures the Toyota Mirai hydrogen fuel cell vehicle, which is the polar opposite of the LFA as far as excitement is concerned.
Inside Lexus, there’s hope the LFA will receive an heir-apparent at some point in the future. Lexus president Yoshihiro Sawa told Autocar that such a car is “just a dream” at this point, though he advocates for pooling the resources to make that dream come true. “I really want to do an LFA successor, and it is important to have dreams, but for now it is a very complicated situation,” declared the head honcho. “It’s a very difficult question to answer as I would like to do it, but we have other priorities for now," he added.
What does Lexus work on while the LFA successor is on hold? First of all, the automaker will soon take the veils off a seven-seat version of the RX mid-size SUV. Then the UX will follow suit, believed to replace the CT 200h and be slotted under the compact-sized NX crossover. According to reports, the UX could be launching in October 2018 for the 2019 model year.
Exquisite flamboyance is what makes Lexus’ icon attract with the force magnets are attracted to metal, and the Japanese automaker knows that it could use another halo vehicle in the lineup. The LC 500 is good, but not LFA good, while the likes of the RC F and GS F aren’t too rewarding from a keen driver’s point of view. Adding insult to injury, the Motomachi plant in Aichi, Japan now manufactures the Toyota Mirai hydrogen fuel cell vehicle, which is the polar opposite of the LFA as far as excitement is concerned.
Inside Lexus, there’s hope the LFA will receive an heir-apparent at some point in the future. Lexus president Yoshihiro Sawa told Autocar that such a car is “just a dream” at this point, though he advocates for pooling the resources to make that dream come true. “I really want to do an LFA successor, and it is important to have dreams, but for now it is a very complicated situation,” declared the head honcho. “It’s a very difficult question to answer as I would like to do it, but we have other priorities for now," he added.
What does Lexus work on while the LFA successor is on hold? First of all, the automaker will soon take the veils off a seven-seat version of the RX mid-size SUV. Then the UX will follow suit, believed to replace the CT 200h and be slotted under the compact-sized NX crossover. According to reports, the UX could be launching in October 2018 for the 2019 model year.
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