The Lexus Sport Concept has been revealed at Monterey Car Week, giving an early look at the styling of the brand's upcoming supercar, tipped to be called the LFR.
Although it has not strictly been confirmed to bear a relation to the prototype demonstrated at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, it has the same rakish proportions and many similar cues, suggesting a link between the two cars.
It is described by the Japanese manufacturer as "a vision for a next-generation sports car".
It introduces several new design cues evolved from the camouflaged Goodwood prototypes, such as a front light and grille signature that runs along the length of the front wings and an N-shaped rear light bar that spans the car's width.
It also appears to trade the prototype's conventional side mirrors for racing-style cameras, while there is a small, aerodynamics-boosting tailfin on the roof that appears to be lit to match the state of the brake lights.
A chunky rear diffuser and active rear spoiler hint at the car's performance-focused billing, although exhaust pipes – nestled above the diffuser on the prototypes – are conspicuous by their absence.
A triangular motif set into the rear end references the similar exhaust set-up on the Lexus LFA, reinforcing previous reports that the new model would be positioned as its successor.
It is thought that the production version may adopt the LFR moniker, although nothing has yet been confirmed by Lexus.
It is possible that the lack of tailpipes means this new car is a development of the Electrified Sport concept, first shown in 2021 as a preview of a new electric supercar.
That car, due to reach production later this decade, will sit on a structure inspired by Lexus' GT3 racers and is set to become the first mass-produced electric car to feature a 'manual gearbox'.
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It's a dramatic exterior design. I think I like it. The problem is that Lexus keeps giving mixed signals about what sort of brand it wants to be. Although some people go crazy for the LFA (I used to own an IS-F), I don't know if this new car (if it's built as is) can restore Lexus's fortunes in the UK and Europe generally. The brand has always been more successful in the US than anywhere else.
while the US remains its biggest market, Europe is its fastest growing region, up 19.3% from 2023 to 2024. 2024 was the marque's highest volume year worldwide ever at 851k units, up 3.3% from 824k in 2023 (and well above pre-Covid volume of 765k units in 2019). A quick scan of LFA's for sale in the US suggests a used value of $850k for a multiple owner model so if history is any indicator of future success the new one will also be a shrewd long term investment, and likely a reliable one too...
Yes, to be fair, Lexus seems to be be doing better in Europe recently but the growth is from EV and hyrid models, not ICE models. Most of its curent models seem to be crossovers (in the UK, the ES is the only saloon left in the range). Only ~500 LFAs were manufactured, so it probably remains a good investment.