Lexus Has Trademarked ‘LFA’ - Let The Hype Commence

Commercially, the Lexus LFA was a flop. That’s why Lexus has been flogging units that have sat unsold in dealerships long after production stopped, and yet, the supercar’s allure remains for enthusiasts, to the point where the trademarking of the name in several nations has a good chance of setting the hype train upon its merry way.

As uncovered by Drive.com.au, the name ‘LFA’ was trademarked by Lexus in the USA, Philippines, Indonesia, and Israel. This could be a second-generation version of the LFA is inbound, and it might also…not. Names are trademarked all the time without ever going to be used for production cars, and yet, we can’t help but cross our fingers.

It’s also possible that the LFA will get a successor that goes under a different name. This time last year Lexus trademarked ‘LF-R’, which could be the name for a production version of the Toyota GR GT3 concept. A prototype with similar proportions to that show car was recently spotted at Twin-Ring Motegi making a V8-based racket.

Toyota’s WEC team boss Rob Leupen previously told motorsport.com that a Lexus-branded version would go racing, and if it’s to be a GT3 car, it’ll need to be based on a production car.

A second option for the LFA badge could involve an all-electric hypercar to sit alongside the LF-R. Toyota released a wild-looking, Lexus-branded concept at the tail end of 2021, with then-CEO Akio Toyoda saying it would “inherit” the “secret sauce” of the LFA. A press release in 2022 later said that the “new model symbolises the future of the Lexus brand while also reviving the spirit of the iconic Lexus LFA”.

What we can safely rule out is a high-revving, naturally aspirated V10 like the original LFA’s Yamaha-built and developed unit, but hey, if you want to dream, we won’t stop you.