Lexus LFA replacement previewed

A replacement for the Lexus LFA supercar, based on the dramatic LF-LC concept from the 2012 Detroit motor show, could enter production.

Haruhiko Tanahashi, the engineer who masterminded the LFA, has hinted that 
a new Lexus halo model could already be in development.

“I have the expectation that car will be launched,” Tanahashi told Autocar. “I personally hope the LF-LC will be built. I think most of Lexus’s concept cars have been turned into production cars.”

Tanahashi said a new range-topper sitting above the upcoming RC coupé but at a lower price point than the now-defunct LFA made sense.

Lexus’s international boss, Mark Templin, also confirmed that a halo sports car would reappear, although a slew of more mainstream F-badged models will come sooner. 

“We want a whole level of real F products with a car like the LFA being at the top of it,” Templin confirmed. “It doesn’t mean we have something on the drawing board.”

The roll-out of new F models is expected to begin with a 5.0-litre V8 RC F at the Detroit motor show next month. A GS F has also been spied testing, while a second-generation 
IS F has been mooted.

Templin said the F brand would establish a different character from Mercedes-AMG and the like, with “performance hybrids” potentially playing a role.

Bruce Newton