They are trying something difficult here.
Lexus wants its electric LFA to feel like the old V10. Not just in the brochure. But in your seat. Your chest. That gut instinct that tells you this thing is alive.
Forget the fake engine noise. Everyone is doing that. It feels hollow. Lexus is trying a different path.
The car just showed up at Goodwood. It’s a prototype, rough around the edges but loud in purpose. Underneath? It shares DNA with Toyota’s GR GT. Same aluminum skeleton. But the LFA stands apart. Less aggressive. Calmer. Designer Shogo Kasamatsu calls it “humble.”
The design isn’t about the brand logo. It’s about the function. The message.
Most EV hypercars scream with aero bits and angry lights. This one stays quiet. Minimalist. It doesn’t try to look like the new Lexus sedan lineup. It stands on its own.
Here is the hard part though. Solid-state batteries.
That is the secret weapon. Much denser energy than the liquid stuff in your Tesla or Rivian. It stays light. It keeps range high without weighing down the chassis. No exact specs yet, but this is likely the first production Lexus to ride on this tech.
Is anyone waiting in line? Not yet.
Yukihiro Yukita, the guy running the program, admits it. The market isn’t asking for expensive electric supercars. “Many people think a battery electric vehicle is fake,” he says. He blames the industry obsession with mimicking combustion engine sounds. That imitation feels cheap to drivers who care about mechanics.
So they won’t copy the sound. They won’t fake the gearbox shudder.
Instead? They want you to feel like you are driving with an engine. That sensation. That connection.
The car is almost ready. Launch is set for next year.
Will it change minds? Probably not everyone’s. But it is a direct challenge to the idea that batteries are boring. Maybe they’re wrong about that.
Who knows what the steering wheel will do next.
