The next-generation Lexus LFA will be all-electric and is set to become the first production Lexus to use Toyota's advanced solid-state batteries.
According to a report from Autocar, the new LFA will run on solid-state cells, which Toyota has been developing for years.
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These batteries hold more energy in less space than conventional liquid-based packs.
Lexus previewed the new LFA last December alongside the Toyota GR GT, which shares its aluminum architecture.
While the GR GT uses a V8, the LFA will be electric, a departure from the original's Yamaha-tuned V10.
A New Approach to Electric Performance
Yukihiro Yukita, LFA program general manager, said Lexus wants to convince supercar buyers to choose the LFA over traditional combustion alternatives.
He acknowledged weak demand for high-priced performance EVs is a hurdle but said Lexus intends to lead the shift.
Lexus has no interest in faking gear shifts or engine sounds like some rivals.
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Yukita wants drivers to feel like they are driving with an engine without cheaply mimicking one.
“We're not just wanting to replicate the sound of the engine, we want to redesign the sound itself,” he said.
Engineering teams will strip out unnecessary noise and vibration, sharpening the sensory experience.
Shogo Kasamatsu, who penned the recent LFA concept, said the car's restrained look drew on the original LFA, which he called a very humble design based on its true function.
The car was shaped to carry that message rather than follow Lexus's current design language.
Yukita acknowledged that EVs give up the sound and vibration that pull a driver in, but electric motors offer responsiveness and linearity no combustion engine can match.
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The new LFA made a subtle, silent dynamic debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.
