During production at the Motomachi facility, LFA Chief Engineer Haruhiko Tanahashi is pictured with a piece of foamcored CFRP material in front of the LFA body.
The LFA went on sale for Lexus on October 23, 2009. In the second quarter of 2010, Lexus carefully selected potential buyers[46]. In December 2010, production got under way. With a starting price of $375,000, just 20 cars were constructed each month for the global market’s total of 500 cars (340,000). Each vehicle has to be ordered specifically for the customer .[47]
Following the LFA’s debut at the Tokyo Motor Show, Lexus unveiled a website with a “LFA configurator,” allowing users to choose from over 30 billion possible combinations of exterior and interior colors, brake caliper colors, seats, steering wheel leather, and other interior designs.[48][49] Each LFA was individually crafted by a skilled production team of engineers and specialists at Toyota’s Motomatchi plant in Aichi, Japan.[50][51][52]
150 vehicles were first offered for sale in the North American market via a two-year lease arrangement. Racing driver Scott Pruett was contracted to provide test drives to interested purchasers, showcasing the vehicle’s capabilities at Auto Club Speedway. This was done to prevent owners from reselling the vehicle for a profit. At the end of 2009, Toyota Motors USA’s Lexus division ceased taking orders. At that time, they intended to start talking to the lessees about a purchase plan. Later, Lexus reversed course and permitted outright purchases, but only if the buyer signed a contract giving the dealer the first option to acquire the LFA back if the owner decided to sell it during the first two years. In the European market, buyers may order their LFA through a single Lexus dealer located in Park Lane, London where it was bought outright. The dealer would have the choice to buy back the used LFA for either fair market value or the original sticker price, whichever is lower .[54]
Haruhiko Tanahashi, chief engineer of the LFA, in front of an autoclave for curing CFRP components
Each LFA was given a plaque with a unique number that identified its position in the production run during its manufacture. With 20 units made per month, LFA production ran from December 2010 to December 2012[51]. Each LFA V10 engine included the signature of the expert who assembled it. The final vehicle, which had the Nrburgring package and an exterior finish of white, was completed on December 14th, 2012, marking the end of production. There was no planned successor when manufacture halted. With a tiny staff, the LFA plant in Motomachi continued to produce parts .[55]
In This Article...
What is the LFA’s market value?
The Lexus LFA is a unique vehicle, especially in light of the fact that Jeremy Clarkson previously referred to it as “the best automobile [he] had ever driven.” It’s the only recent supercar to be produced by Toyota, and it’s also the first Lexus we’ve ever seen with a V10 engine.
It has been asserted that because the project had to be restarted and rebuilt from the bottom up using a carbon fiber base rather of the heavier aluminum one, Lexus ultimately ended up losing money on every single LFA sold.
What was Lexus’s loss on the LFA?
Fuel efficiency, production costs, and profit margins are now all defining features in modern automobile mass production, and this is true of the majority of modern cars.
The CEO of a car firm occasionally introduces a vehicle that is only driven by the desire to create the greatest vehicle possible. And one illustrative example of this was the Lexus LFA.
Akio Toyoda, the great-grandson of the company’s founder, took over as CEO of Toyota in 2009 and vowed to stop Toyota from producing uninteresting automobiles, as noted by Autoweek.
A complexly engineered supercar that would serve as the brand’s halo model was essential to establishing the tone for the direction he planned to drive Toyota and its premium division, Lexus, in.
The LFA concept first appeared in 2005 after the LFA development got underway in the early 2000s. However, the real model would not make its appearance until the 2009 Tokyo Motor Show.
Evo claims that the corporation actually lost money on each of the 500 LFAs it sold, despite the fact that they had a list price of about $400,000 when they were brand-new.
Although the LFA was thought to be pricey and underpowered in comparison to its rivals, time has been kind to it. Its well-aged design, flawless construction, and in particular its completely exciting engine have elevated it to the status of a very collectible contemporary classic. And its value has only increased. What exactly is its unique engine made of then?
What number of LFA remain?
According to the listing, the owner of the dealership, Arlington Lexus in Palatine, Illinois, bought the vehicle after it was delivered to the business. However, according to the listing, it has only 72 miles on the odometer and has spent the most of the last nine years on display in the dealership’s showroom. The LFA’s final sale price of $808,000 reflects a profit of $433,000 over its initial sticker price of $375,000 plus any initial dealer discount. Sometimes it makes sense to keep a brand-new car for almost ten years.
Many dealerships kept their LFAs as showcase items to draw customers into their showrooms. Five brand-new, unregistered LFA vehicles were still available as of January 2020, even though production on the model finished in December 2012 and the final vehicle arrived in the United States in February 2013.
The carbon-fiber-bodied LFA was intended to be a halo vehicle for Lexus, elevating the company’s reputation while leveraging some of parent Toyota’s Formula One expertise.
A 5.2-liter V-10 with a 9,000-rpm redline and 552 horsepower and 334 lb-ft of torque powers the vehicle. An automatic manual transmission with six speeds and a single clutch is attached to the high-revving engine.
Despite that magnificent V-10, many people have trouble grasping the concept of a Lexus supercar. In comparison to the rest of the Lexus series, the $375,000 base price appeared absurd. That could help to explain why even the modest 500-unit production run was difficult for Lexus to sell.
According to the listing, this vehicle is one of just five Pearl Yellow versions made for the American market. Though sources disagree on the precise number, less than 200 automobiles were imported into the United States.
Even more than other recent LFA sales, the sale price was high. A brown LFA was posted for sale at a dealership in January with an asking price of $680,000, while a silver LFA sold for $720,000 at an auction earlier this year.
Did Lexus experience a loss on the LFA?
The Lexus LFA had a ten-year gestation period, which contributed to its high production costs. Even with a steep $375,000 asking price, Lexus lost money on each LFA that was sold. But well, people who pay get wonderful things. (I assume that is the saying.)
If Lexus decided to reenter the supercar market, might it repeat the same error?
Yoshihiro Sawa, president of Lexus, reacted with both sides of his brain when asked by Autocar if his firm would like to try it all over again with an LFA replacement, effectively replying, “Sure, but probably not right now,” presumably to the relief of his accountants.
Although it’s necessary to have dreams, Sawa stated, “For the time being, it’s a really complicated scenario. I truly want to do an LFA successor. Even though I would like to answer that query, we currently have other priorities. These goals reportedly include a three-row, Range Rover-baiting RX and the impending UX compact crossover. (Man, you’re killing us.)
The Lexus LFA, with its monstrously atmospheric, 552-hp, 4.8-liter V-10, roared to 60 mph in 3.6 seconds and reached a high speed of 202 mph. Today, the breathtakingly attractive LC coupe is put together at the former LFA plant in Motomachi. Although the production-spec LFA has been around for eight years (nearly to the day), we think a modern LFA 2.0 would include electrification and a much bigger predator grille. Which is really darn seductive.
Why did the Lexus LFA fail?
Last but not least, the price tag of this supercar was the main factor in its failure. The LFA debuted in 2011 with a windscreen sticker that read $400,000 on the market. It cost almost twice as much as a Ferrari 599, the same model.
Who is a Lexus LFA owner?
Only 50 of the even more rare Lexus LFA Nrburgring models left the Motomachi production line, and Pasin Lathouras is the proud owner of one. When visiting the UK, Pasin, who is based in Thailand, drives the LFA on a regular basis. We spoke with him to learn more about what it’s like to drive and own this storied supercar.
Will the LFA ever resurface?
According to one Japanese publication, one of Japan’s current supercar icons could make a comeback in 2025, but say goodbye to the roaring Yamaha V10 engine.
Can a brand-new LFA still be purchased?
The Lexus LFA is regarded by many as one of the best supercars ever produced. I imagined that since Lexus only produced 500 units, they were immediately consumed. I was mistaken. Despite the fact that Lexus stopped producing the LFA in 2012, Carscoops reports that there are still seven brand-new LFA supercars available for purchase in the United States.
Lexus had stated that it still had 12 LFAs on hand. Five of the automobiles have now been sold. Seven vehicles are still on dealer lots across the nation.
When it was released in 2011, the LFA was a revelation. It took a very, very long time to arrive, but when it did, it astounded many in the automotive press and customers.
That being said, it cost $400,000 to purchase. Potential customers might have found that to be too much. The car is currently available for approximately $350,000, with some excellent models apparently costing as much as $500,000.
All things considered, the LFA featured one of the best V8 engines ever created by a Japanese carmaker. The 4.8-liter V8 produced 352 lb-ft of torque and 552 horsepower. It had a free-revving engine with a chill-inducing exhaust noise.
These cars probably won’t be worth as much as they did when they were first purchased. They’ll probably become collectible cars. However, it appears that not many people are currently prepared to pay for the car. You can pick one of seven cars if you’re one of the few who are willing.
Why wasn’t the LFA purchased?
Lexus eventually released the LFA after a decade of development and thorough testing, but nobody bought it.
The Lexus LFA is not only an excellent sports vehicle, but it is also an engineering marvel and a stunning work of art. The LFA, the Millau Viaduct in France, and the Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland would be among the top 10 structures ever created if engineering were to someday be considered an art form.
Creating the LFA wasn’t simple. Everyone is already familiar with the tale. Over the course of six years, Toyota engineered and designed the vehicle, and just as it was about to be completed, an engineer questioned whether carbon fiber would make for a better body. After undergoing a revision, it took another four years before the car was unveiled at the 2010 Frankfurt Motor Show in its final production form. Toyota famously lost money on each and every one of the 500 LFAs it made despite selling them for an eye-watering $375,000 each. Although the LFA was seen as a commercial failure, its popularity has grown over the past few years to the point where used cars now fetch double or even more than the MSRP.
Therefore, even if it is extremely improbable that the majority of car aficionados ever drive, let alone see, an LFA, we can still daydream about it and enjoy its heavenly engine sound online. The LexusLFA is the most underestimated supercar ever created for the following ten reasons.