Tokyo: Late last year, Toyota and Lexus pulled the covers off 15 new electric car concepts to give us a taste of what’s in the pipeline. Among these was the striking Lexus sportscar.
However, at the time, not much information was released on any of the concept cars but now Lexus has spilt the beans on some of them, including the sportscar, by releasing new information and pictures.
Lexus hasn’t given the vehicle a proper name yet, simply referring to it as the future Lexus Electric Sports Car, but the company has effectively confirmed that it would go into production at some point and serve as something of a spiritual successor to the LFA.
But while the latter, which Jeremy Clarkson once admitted was the best car he’d driven, was powered by a high-revving V10 petrol engine, the new sports model will be fully electric.
Although no output figures have been released, Lexus promises that its EV sports car will sprint from 0-100km/h in the “low two-second range”, making it one of the fastest cars in the world.
The LFA successor may also get solid state batteries, depending on how far Toyota gets with its R&D on this promising new technology. If the batteries are ready in time, then the sports car will have a range of more than 700km between charges.
“With the bold proportions and low ride height required for a high-performance sports car, the new model symbolises the future of the Lexus brand while also reviving the spirit of the iconic Lexus LFA,” Lexus said.
“Through Lexus Electrified, the company aims to fully leverage the potential of electrification to increase the joy of driving for all its customers. It will also deliver the rewards of the Lexus Driving Signature, a unique driving experience founded on linear vehicle responses that are constantly faithful to the driver’s intentions, with seamless connection of deceleration, steering and acceleration at all times.”
Lexus says the sports car will form part of a full line-up of battery-powered vehicles that will be launched before the end of this decade. Some of these have been shown off in concept form, including a sports sedan and the RZ 450e SUV. The latter will be the first fully electric vehicle to be launched by Lexus and it is expected to be revealed, in production form, during the first half of 2022.
Toyota and Lexus together aim to sell 3.5 million electric cars per year by 2030 and by that time, the premium division will have an EV contender in every single segment.