Lexus LFA Name Returns, But This Time On An EV Concept

When Toyota teased the reveal of the GR GT and its GT3 racing sibling earlier this week, there was a third car to be found in the image, one which clearly had a rear end very similar to that of the mysterious Lexus Sport Concept unveiled back in the summer.

We thought at the time this confirmed a Lexus version of the long-awaited sports car. Turned out we were kind of right, kind of wrong. That car lurking in the shadows was the Sport Concept, but it now has a new name: Lexus LFA Concept.

Yep, LFA as in the era-defining front-engined supercar, the one with That V10, an exquisite, high-revving ode to the art of internal combustion. Which is why it might ruffle more than a few feathers that the new LFA concept is electric.

Any actual details on it are still scant, but it’s said to share the principles of low weight, high rigidity and aerodynamic performance with the GR GT. As such, it’s based around the same aluminium chassis as the Toyota. There are nods to its hallowed predecessor, though, like those air-directing channels sat at the rear edge of the side windows.

Inside, the LFA concept takes a minimalist approach, without even a visible centre infotainment screen to be found. Instead, everything’s focused around the yoke-style steering wheel – suggesting it uses Lexus’ steer-by-wire tech already found in the RZ production car – and a curving instrument display.

On that display, we can see things like lap timers and temperature readouts, but also a readout which appears to show what 'gear' the car's in. Given that Lexus is already offering a simulated gearbox in the RZ too, it seems a no-brainer that a fully-fledged EV supercar from the company could have it. More intriguing are the displays that say what brake and boost maps the LFA’s in, suggesting a high degree of configurability for the driver.

Rumours around an electric Lexus sports car have swirled ever since it debuted the Electrified Sport Concept four years ago. The emergence of this concept earlier this year, with its confusingly similar previous name of Sport Concept, muddied those waters somewhat, but now we know: if Lexus builds a new supercar,  it’ll almost certainly be an EV. 

That’s going to bitterly disappoint a lot of people considering the original LFA’s USP was that spectacular powerplant, but if it makes it an easier pill to swallow, Lexus says it’s “striving in a “one-team” effort to create a BEV sports car that exceeds its customers’ expectations.” Will it be enough to make the LFA name worthy of adorning an EV? Considering all signs point to Lexus getting ready to build it, we’ll have to wait and see.