Lexus LFA Just a Technical Showcase?

Even with a hefty pricetag of 375,000 Euros, the Lexus LFA will not yield Toyota hardly any profit. After six years in development, Toyota poured millions into its development but the price tag and expected production and sales figures wouldn’t make it Lexus’ cash cow.

The LFA is powered by a 4.8L V10 that dishes out 552 bhp. That much power allows the car to hit 62 mph from standstill in 3.7 seconds and go all the way to 202 mph.

The LFA hit a roadblock about a year ago when Nissan came out with the GT-R. Toyota engineers went back to the drawing board to make sure that the GT-R would not shame Lexus in the bid of building the next proper Asian supercar after the Honda NSX ended its run.

While there will be expected demand for the car, 375,000 Euros is already the price of two Aston Martin DBSes. And quite frankly, even though I’m a Toyota fan, I’m pretty sure I’d spring for a couple of DBSes instead if I had the money.

Honda Chief: Lexus LFA a ‘Monster’

What I like about the Japanese is their tradition allows them to respect their rivals. Let’s face it, Westerners do have a tendency to loath competitor’s guts to kingdom come.

Here’s Honda CEO, Takanobu Ito, acknowledging what Toyota/Lexus has accomplished with the LFA. When asked about the status of the NSX replacement, Ito said that “it wouldn’t look like the monster Toyota has just shown at the motor show.”

Latest word on the NSX replacement is that it will be a hydrogen fuel cell supercar that would pack max torque from zero RPM. Honda aims to crack the hydrogen puzzle and made quite the push with their FCX Clarity. Now if only hydrogen storage will finally be solved.

Honda’s giving up on the horsepower war and is concentrating on being the world’s greenest automaker. Their latest showcase, the Honda CR-Z hybrid is testament to that effort.

Source: Autocar

Lexus LF-A Configurator Mini-Site

And here’s one for the little boys in us who used to draw cars using crayons and style them in such ways that they’ve got flamethrowers and rocket launchers – another configurator. This time, featuring the newly unveiled Lexus LF-A.

Much like other configurators, this one offers previews for exterior and interior styling. The exterior mods include previews for the standard and special paint jobs, caliper colors and wheel options. Inside you can switch between leather and alcantara trims for almost everything from the seats to the instrument panels. You can even rotate the car 360 degrees.

The mircosite’s basically an online brochure for those with $400,000 (375,000 Euros) to spare for the price tag.

For some reason though, messing with an LF-A isn’t as exciting as virtually customizing Italian exotica like with the Ferrari 458 Italia. (And come on, what’s with the “Passionate Pink” paint color?)

Check the site out here.

Video: Lexus LF-A

After years of getting teased by Toyota, their bet for the proper Asian supercar is now unveiled. The Lexus LFA makes its debut at the Tokyo motor show.

Quick facts about the car. It has a 4.8L V10 that delivers 552 hp and that is mated to a six-speed automated sequential gearbox. 0-62 mph time of 3.7 seconds and zooms all the way to 202 mph.

Here are a couple of videos showcasing the car.

Promo:

Live Unveiling:

Lexus LF-A Uncovered

I’m not quite sure if I’m still excited by any news about the Lexus LF-A. All the buzz sometime ago and the eventual “back to the drawing board” stint made by Toyota robbed us of the excitement of an upcoming supercar.

Lexus wanted the car to be the next real supercar from Asia after the demise of the Honda NSX. Nissan beat them to the punch with the Nissan GT-R that set quite the bar. Not wanting to be trumped by Nissan, Toyota went back to re-plan the LF-A.

The car will be powered by a 5.0L V10 that dishes out an approximated 550 hp and can rev up to 9,000 rpm. With some effort done to keep the weight down, the car rivals the Ferrari 599 with a 367 bhp/ton power to weight ratio.

Anyway, here’s a spyshot of the car doing its rounds at the Nurburgring. Lexus is in its final stages of development and plans to have it on sale soon. It’s expected to debut at the Tokyo show next month.

Source: Autocar

BMW Gunning for Lexus US Sales Rank

After facing a global sales drop (and most automakers did suffer from that), German automaker BMW is setting its sights on Lexus as the top luxury brand in the US.

Lexus, Japanese automaker Toyota’s luxury brand, has always been at the top of the sales boards in the US for the past 9 years. However, BMW has made quite the push and is just around 2,000 units behind this year.

“We’re really breathing down Lexus’ neck,” said Jim O’Donnell, CEO of BMW Group’s North American sales.

The US auto market took a huge beating due to the recession. The year saw two of the Detroit Three (General Motors and Chrysler) go belly up. Still, BMW sees a possible improvement in luxury car sales as the economy improves.

Source: DetNews