Ensuring that an electric sports car awakens the same emotions as a combustion one continues to be one of the great challenges of the industry. Lexus knows this and, therefore, has decided to take a different path for the model it is developing as heir to the iconic LFA.

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The Japanese brand does not intend to convince enthusiasts with artificial sound effects or simulations that imitate the behavior of a gasoline engine. Their commitment is to create a completely new experience, capable of transmitting authentic sensations by taking advantage of the qualities of electric propulsion.

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This approach was once again evident after the appearance of the prototype at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, where the company also hinted that the project is already in a very advanced stage of development.

A design inspired by the LFA legacy

The future sports car maintains an elegant and clean image, a decision that seeks to pay tribute to the original LFA presented in 2010. For Lexus, the design had to respond more to the function of the vehicle than to the need to follow the aesthetic language of the rest of the range.

Shogo Kasamatsu, designer of the prototype, explained the philosophy behind the project by noting that “the LFA itself had a very humble design, very artistic and based on its true function.”

The person in charge also assured that the objective is to “express the message, more than our design language”, which is why the concept presented at Goodwood has its own identity. In addition, he revealed that the vehicle on display is “almost” identical to the final model, whose development is “almost finished” and which should be presented next year.

Everything indicates that this will be the first production Lexus equipped with solid-state batteries and that it will share part of its architecture with the future Toyota GR GT, although both models will have clearly differentiated personalities.

Lexus wants to leave artificial sounds behind

The conversation about electric sports cars usually revolves around the same point. Many manufacturers have chosen to reproduce the sound of combustion engines to try to maintain the emotional connection with the driver.

Lexus, on the other hand, believes that this is not the right way to go. Kasamatsu acknowledged that "many people do not currently believe that battery propulsion is exciting. That is a huge challenge," making it clear that convincing that public will be one of the project's priorities.

The same vision is shared by Yukihiro Yukita, director of the LFA program, who admits that the low demand for electric supercars represents “our biggest challenge.”

A new experience for the five senses

The Japanese manufacturer wants to build its own identity for this model, without resorting to imitations.

Yukita was clear when explaining the philosophy that the vehicle will follow: "What I perceive from the market is that a BEV is fake because we imitate the sound of a combustion engine, but that is not something we want to do. We want the driver to feel like they are driving with an engine."

The manager also recognizes that electrification eliminates traditional elements such as sound and mechanical vibrations, aspects that have historically been part of the driving experience: "We lose sound and vibrations, which have a great impact on the driver's five senses."

However, for Lexus this absence also represents an opportunity to reinvent the driving experience: "We can eliminate all those sounds or vibrations that are not useful. We can start again from scratch and discuss what we want to create by redesigning the sound and vibrations so that they have a positive impact on the five senses."

With this philosophy, the brand hopes to demonstrate that an electric supercar can generate genuine emotions without needing to imitate the past and taking advantage of the possibilities offered by completely different technology.