Lexus has previewed the prototype version of the upcoming LFA electric vehicle (EV) at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, where the Japanese automaker shared that the production car is almost finished.
Set to debut next year, the new Lexus LFA EV is designed to deliver an authentic driving experience, demonstrating that electric-powered supercars can perform as excitingly as their traditional internal combustion engine (ICE) counterparts. Lexus said it is aware of the challenges behind the relatively low demand for performance EVs, which it linked to the overall driving experience, according to a report by Autocar UK.
Lexus LFA Program General Manager Yukihiro Yukita reportedly said that the lack of demand for high-priced performance EVs is the car brand’s “biggest challenge.” Yukita’s statement shows that Lexus is aware of the issue and aims to change the market’s perception about electric-powered supercars, which serves as a guide to how Lexus is developing the new LFA EV.
Yukita added that Lexus is determined to make the new LFA an electric-powered supercar that delivers an authentic driving experience. Lexus believes that the market can be convinced to make the electric shift if it manages to produce an electric supercar that can deliver such an experience.
“What I get from the market is that a BEV is fake because we imitate the sound [of an ICE], but that’s not something we want to do,” Yukita told Autocar UK.
The report added that rather than simply mimicking the sound of an engine ot the feel of a gearbox, Lexus wants “LFA drivers to feel like they are driving with an engine.”
The Lexus LFA EV is designed to prove that an electric sports car can carry emotional weight rather than merely showcase technology. Lexus frames the new LFA as a next-generation sports car that inherits the old LFA’s DNA.
Like the Toyota GR GT, the upcoming Lexus LFA EV sits on an aluminum body structure emphasizing low weight and rigidity. Its silhouette draws from the original LFA but smooths it into a more timeless, next-era form. The new LFA is also said to be the first production Lexus to use solid-state batteries.
Autocar’s Take
Lexus wants to make the new LFA as influential as its predecessor. As such, it aims to make the new LFA an EV that will deliver an authentic driving experience, which can convince the automotive market that an electric-power supercar can be as good or even better than its ICE counterparts. This is a tall order, but Lexus believes that the approach it is taking is the right path, as it revealed that the prototype version shown at the Goodwood Festival of Speed is almost complete. The new Lexus LFA EV is planned to make its debut by next year.
