Lexus Just Unveiled the Next LFA—and It’s an All-Electric Stunner

Earlier this year, Lexus showed its Sport Concept at the Monterey Car Week, and had virtually nothing to say about it, leading many to surmise that it was the next LFA. On Friday in Japan, the automaker confirmed just that: The Sport Concept—now called the LFA Concept—is the second generation of the legendary sports car. The greater surprise is Lexus said the second-generation LFA will be all-electric, too.

The auto giant took its time with the new LFA as it prioritized other projects, but depending on your aesthetic preferences, the wait was worth it. The new LFA sits low, prizing aerodynamics, and stands just under four feet tall. Lexus also said low weight is a priority, though it didn’t reveal just how low.

The company also didn’t share horsepower numbers or how the battery would be packaged inside, except to say that weight distribution was important, meaning in all likelihood the battery will be skateboard-style design seen in many other EVs. Lexus didn’t reveal a zero-to-60 time and torque numbers either, nor the new model’s range.

On the inside, Lexus says the new LFA is built around the driver, with a steering yoke instead of a wheel, meaning hands should never have to come ungripped. Switches are designed for “blind touch operation,” which means the driver’s eyes won’t have to leave the road.

Lexus did not reveal the new LFA’s price, though the original LFA cost around $375,000 brand new, or more than half a million dollars today accounting for inflation. It wouldn’t be a surprise if the new model costs that much as well, given that it’s intended to represent the automaker’s highest aspiration as a brand. Lexus didn’t say when the car would reach customers, though it may be a couple of years, with the production version likely unveiled next year and sales and deliveries to follow some time after that.

What’s also to be seen is if the second-generation LFA makes the same kind of splash that the first one did—a genuinely shocking moment in recent car history, when a brand flipped the script on its self-conception with a single model and changed some minds about what it was capable of. The second-generation LFA won’t live up to that lofty standard, though it would do well to accomplish even a little of it.

Click here for more photos of the Lexus LFA Concept.

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