Lexus will go all-electric from 2035, and the new supercar concept hints at EV performance aspirations.
Lexus is developing an all-electric supercar to serve as a spiritual successor to the LFA and launch by 2030.
- Toyota and Lexus recently showcased 15 new EV concepts
- Lexus targeting a 0-100kph time of under 2-sec for sportscar
- Supercar could come with Toyota’s new solid state batteries
Lexus LFA successor: what is it?
Shown in concept form as part of the unveiling of 15 new Toyota and Lexus EV concepts, the new model will be one of the electric cars launched by Lexus , as it gears up to phase out internal combustion engines. It will offer an EV in all segments by 2030, by which point it will only sell electric cars in Europe, North America and China, and five years later, will end ICE car sales altogether.
The concept is described as “a battery-EV sports car which inherits the driving taste, or the ‘secret sauce’, of the performance cultivated via the development of the LFA”. Experience gained from developing this car will extend to other future Lexus EVs as part of a drive to emphasise the brand’s dynamic focus.Â
“The endless pursuit of the Lexus Driving Signature will move to the next stage through development of the new Sports Battery EV,” said Lexus’s chief branding officer Koji Sato. It will be a model, he said, which “symbolises the future of the brand”.Â
Lexus is targeting a 0-100kph time in “the low two-second range” and a range of over 690km. The supercar concept has been earmarked as a possible early recipient of solid state batteries – parent company Toyota recently revealed its plans to install these in production EVs from the middle of the decade.
Before that, however, the firm will deploy solid state batteries first in hybrid cars, which will allow it to “test and evaluate the technology” before rolling it out to pure-electric equivalents.
The concept bears minimal resemblance to any Lexus model currently on sale, with a long bonnet (despite its lack of an engine) lending itself to a distinctive cab-rear silhouette. It’s clearly a hardcore proposition, with low-profile tyres, a prominent aero package, gaping air intakes and even a red tow strap at the front which hints at its intended track use billing.
Lexus will officially reveal its first bespoke EV, the RZ crossover, in the coming months, ahead of a market launch before mid-2022. The SUV was shown alongside the supercar in near-production-ready form.
Lexus in IndiaÂ
Back here in India, Lexus launched the facelifted ES sedan in October earlier this year. That said, the Japanese carmaker has no new launches scheduled for India in 2022 so far.Â
What do you think of the new LFA-inspired supercar going all-electric? Let us know in the comments below
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