Toyota is promising big things for the Lexus LFA EV sports car, but will we ever get to see it?
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- Lexus debuted the all-electric LFA Concept at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in July 2026, reviving its iconic supercar as a battery-powered vehicle sharing structural components with Toyota's GR GT and GR GT3 race cars but swapping the V8 for an EV powertrain.
- Lead designer Shogo Kasamatsu told Autocar the production version is "almost finished" and scheduled to launch in 2027, with the interior featuring a yoke-style steering wheel, paddle shifters, and an immersive digital cockpit.
- The LFA EV is expected to be the first vehicle equipped with Toyota's long-promised solid-state batteries, which promise higher energy density, faster charging, and better extreme-temperature performance.
- Toyota's solid-state battery timeline has slipped multiple times — originally targeted for 2021, then 2022, 2025, and now 2027–2028 — and the automaker recently shelved several major EV projects including the Lexus LF-Z.
- The concept measures 184.6 inches long, 80.3 inches wide, and 47 inches tall on a 107.3-inch wheelbase, roughly the size of an Aston Martin DB12 or Ferrari Roma.
- Kasamatsu acknowledged that "many people don't believe that battery [power] is exciting right now," yet Lexus plans to simulate V10 engine sounds and vibrations to recreate the feel of the original 562-hp gas LFA.
- BYD's Denza Z, also shown at Goodwood, delivered a pointed counterpoint: a tri-motor setup producing 1,582 hp and a 0–62 mph time of 1.96 seconds, outgunning the outgoing LFA's 3.7-second sprint.
Why it matters: Lexus is staking its supercar credibility on solid-state batteries that Toyota has failed to deliver on four prior promises — if 2027 slips again, the LFA EV joins a growing list of canceled or delayed Toyota EV projects, leaving the brand without an answer to rivals like BYD's 1,582-hp Denza Z that are already selling high-performance electric supercars today.
