Lexus LF-A Receives High Demand in Europe

The 522-horsepower Lexus LFA has been the subject of a great deal of interest in Europe.  The company said that European interest has pushed the number of formal requests for the car well over the vehicle's expected production run.

Lexus previously indicated that only 500 units of the LF-A would be produced.  Orders for the car, on sale in 56 different countries, will be accepted before the summer begins.

The Lexus LFA is capable of sprinting to 62mph in 3.7 seconds.  It is powered by a 4.8-liter V10 engine, and maintains a low weight with a carbon fiber body.


LEXUS LFA IS THE "MUST HAVE" SUPERCAR

Initial expressions of interest soar beyond number of cars to be built

In the three months since it was unveiled to the public at the Tokyo motor show, the Lexus LFA has been greeted by critical and public acclaim worldwide. Even though it is one of the most exclusive supercars money can buy, the number of formal expressions of interest in purchase received by Lexus is already greater than the limited production run of just 500 examples.

This does not mean that anyone wanting to own an LFA has missed their chance, as they can still register their interest up to mid-March and the end of the Geneva motor show. It is at this point that the 500 cars will be allocated across the 56 countries where they are on sale, with confirmed orders with deposits to be invited from the end of May.

The centre for all European sales is Lexus Park Lane, where the LFA commands a prime showcase position on one of London's most prestigious streets.

Devshi Varshani, the Personal Liaison Manager who looks after all LFA sales, said: "The level of interest we have witnessed reinforces just what an exceptional car the LFA is. Even though few people have even seen the car in the metal, let alone experienced its breathtaking performance, it has quickly achieved the status of a truly rare and highly sought-after machine."

The LFA is designed to deliver the supreme driving experience, powered by a mid-front mounted 4.8-litre V10 engine that produces 552bhp for nought to 62mph in just 3.7 seconds. Hand built in strong but ultra-lightweight carbon fibre material, it represents the pinnacle of advanced automotive design and engineering.

 

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 brad71 brad71
well i know theres alot of people who think this car just can't cut it wit the big boys here in europe, with just the lexus name being a turn off not to mention the so so looks too, but i think it will be a force to be reckoned with... cant wait for the tests against its rivals...
January 21, 2010 3:08 pm
 scratchy996 scratchy996
the LFA will be crushed. the engine is too weak and the car is too heavy. the new McLaren MP4-12C will be the new performance benchmark until the F70 arrives.
January 21, 2010 3:17 pm
 radmeister radmeister
The MP4-12C is nice, but i don't think it will be at the top, Noble has some nice cars, Gumpert too. But i would have to give the title hands down to the Ascari A10, that car is simply amazing. Would eat this LF-A alive. Especially now with the engine pumping out 625hp. There will also be the Ferrari 458 Scuderia, new gallardo and murcielago. Also isn't the F430 Scuderia already faster than the LF-A and the same price roughly?
January 21, 2010 3:50 pm
 vsslick vsslick
all they need to do is add twin turbos and retune the suspension, it will eat the "big boys" for breakfast. lexus/toyota have more than enough money to do this, and if they want to be taken seriously theyll have no choice.
January 21, 2010 6:38 pm
 scratchy996 scratchy996
true, but i think those hardcore cars are in a different category.
January 22, 2010 6:13 pm
 scratchy996 scratchy996
of course there is high demand in Europe, i bet most of the cars will be resold in the US.
January 21, 2010 3:19 pm
 radmeister radmeister
I think it's the other way around, it's about 100,000$ cheaper in the US and they have a higher # allocated from that 500 than the rest of the world. Also i thought in Europe they were leasing them, so it would make it difficult to export.
January 21, 2010 3:42 pm
 McNamara68 McNamara68
how does lexus quantify demand? do they measure it by the number of telephone inquiries to their dealers? if they're selling 500 units, they could have had 600 people (a quarter of them high school students puffin the cheeb and playing gran turismo) call and express interest in the car. this is just the same deceptive marketing we've seen from lexus all along.
January 21, 2010 4:26 pm
 scratchy996 scratchy996
they are leasing them in the US and the US only gets 150 cars, Canada gets 10.
January 21, 2010 5:27 pm
 M! M!
@McNamara68 the article says "formal requests for the car". we can assume it is a formal request plus deposit for the LF-A.
January 21, 2010 5:28 pm
 Aluraeo Aluraeo
Well from the top gear test it certainly has 1 hell of a chassis, they mentioned 3 seconds faster then the lambo in the same wet conditions... yet... the lambo is 4 wd drive which excels in the wet. If it was dry how fast would it have gone? 1.23 - 4 secs puts it in the 1.19 range. That's faster then some of the "big boys"
January 21, 2010 3:31 pm
 radmeister radmeister
Yeah one problem, all the "big boys" other than the GT-R are at the very least 3 years old, some are 7-8 years old and at the end of their life cycle. New "big boys" will be born soon enough, look at the difference between the Diablo and Murcielago, the F50 and the Enzo, the 360 Scuderia and the F430 Scuderia. Evolution is a bitch, and the LF-A will be eaten alive by the time the first deliveries take place. The R8 was successful because it was introduced before any of the new "big boys" were announced or planned. Right now we know Ferrari is working on the F70 project, Lambo on the Murcielago replacement. Bad timing on Lexus's part imo.
January 21, 2010 3:57 pm
 scratchy996 scratchy996
that was the first edition Gallardo with 500hp , it's normal a lighter, more powerful car to be faster. it also depends on how much water there was on the track.
January 21, 2010 5:30 pm
 AMGBrabusMercTuners AMGBrabusMercTuners
@aluraeo Actually it was faster than the 1st edition murcielago
January 21, 2010 7:47 pm
 Xanavi23 Xanavi23
While i like the LF-A, i think they could have held off a little longer to release the car. Just in a bid to boost performance. Still i don't think the performance deficit is going to be as big as some do. I think even against the new crop it will hold its own.
January 22, 2010 1:19 pm
 Iconic Iconic
Who really cares if this car isn't the new top dog. It's a crowd pleaser. If there's one thing us car guys love it's when a car sounds like a bat out of hell, and I think this fits the bill. The people buying this car already have a lambo or ferrari in the garage. And looks are subjective anyways.
January 21, 2010 4:01 pm
 2010S5 2010S5
So what that this car doesn't have the best performance in its class. Performance isn't the only reason one would buy this car. I personally love it and I don't really think there's any use in saying things like "the LF-A will be crushed", "will be eaten alive" whatever. It sounds demonic, has killer looks IMO and has Lexus refinement and luxury. I honestly don't care if it's a couple seconds slower around a track than some other exotic.
January 21, 2010 5:21 pm
 DrunkenMime DrunkenMime
LOL @ all the Lexus haters...bunch of snobs. I'd at least wait until the car comes out and see what the roadtests and head to heads go before you start bashing. Horsepower numbers aren't everything. Let's see how this thing handles on the twisties
January 21, 2010 7:33 pm
 McNamara68 McNamara68
it took them 9 years to develop this thing! 9! it is a good car but if you are taking 9 years there better be something groundbreaking about it and this car does nothing to raise the bar in that department. and for that price you would have to be out of your mind. these are legitimate criticisms beyond the subjective bits about styling (it looks hideous btw, like a riced supra imho) and if you think its "lexus bashing" then so be it.
January 21, 2010 7:56 pm
 9TNine 9TNine
Well said, McNamara, Couldn’t agree more, especially about the Riced-Supra comment. I much prefer their Toyota FT-86. Lexus bashers? Not really – they should Get Real!
January 22, 2010 8:51 am
 hescian hescian
The performance is fine, it performs very well against other supercars. The real issue is price. Sure it's limited production, sure it's a lot of carbon fibre, but the price is rediculous. I am astonished people would really want one. Too bad though. Lexus had an opportunity to show it can make a true performance car, and instead of using some of the technology in the LF-A to make a halo production performance car for the brand, it made this.
January 21, 2010 8:30 pm
 hescian hescian
It's kind of like the IS-F. Perfect opportunity to make a decent sports saloon, but then they ruin it with things like the silly fake exhaust tips. Why?
January 21, 2010 8:32 pm
 BavarianMS BavarianMS
Um, seriously get off that crack pipe. F458 over this Lexus badge any-day. Usually when you get a Ferrari you pay half for just the badge and the other half for performance. With this Lexus you are paying double for an ordinary badge that does not even deliver half the performance you seek when you pay that much money. Really stupid deal IMO.
January 21, 2010 11:05 pm
 LemieT LemieT
@Iconic & 2010S5 - I couldn't agree more... I could care less about 0-60 when 99.9% of the time, the seat of my pants isn't calibrated to feel 0.1 sec difference on the road. In the end, this car is a personal opinion mobile, and real car guys can appreciate it for what it is without getting hooked up on things they will never experience themselves, like the thrill of racing one of these... In the end, a gust of wind can make the difference when we split hairs so the whole performance thing is all relative. Think of it like this, if any one car was so dominant, it's lesser competitors should have NO sales...
January 22, 2010 1:00 am
 scratchy996 scratchy996
this car is supposed to be an engineering tour de force, not a cruiser. can you imagine the Apollo 11 engineers say: " we spent a decade and some billions on this rocket, but who cares if it gets to the Moon, the important thing is the feeling you get when you cruise in it around the Earth".
January 22, 2010 6:00 pm
 2010S5 2010S5
Do you seriously not know the difference between the purpose of a rocket and that of a sports car? This car's shortcomings are a few. Just because in your eyes this car is not as fast as a Ferrari 458 or some other supercar doesn't mean that it does not fulfill a purpose or is not a worthy sports car. How extremely narrow minded is that. Have you even read a professional review of this car?
January 22, 2010 7:06 pm
 scratchy996 scratchy996
@2010S5, yes. it's a good car, but nothing groundbreaking. the F458 is better.
January 22, 2010 8:47 pm
 nederina nederina
lexus cars depreciates faster than it accelerates!
January 22, 2010 3:43 am
 dnipete dnipete
What a load of crap from those Lexus/toyota bashers. When this came out evrybody was saying who's gonna buy this piece of junk because of the price? Since its goin to sell, now your saying poor performance blah blah blah... remember who's got the last laugh? yeah.. your so called crappy Lexus/Toyota. Go Lexus! Go LFA!! Now I know what it stands for Lexus is gonna F... your A..!!!
January 22, 2010 4:21 am
 Panuzzi Panuzzi
No offense but do people realize it's the only car in the world slower than 3.5 sec in a 60mph run and costing more than $350k?
January 22, 2010 6:28 am
 nickmini nickmini
0-62mph, not 0-60mph
January 22, 2010 4:16 pm
 9TNine 9TNine
I wouldn't listen to Toyota. They haven't a clue about car mats, for instance!
January 22, 2010 7:54 am
 phobos phobos
.. $350k for a lexus ? no offense, but ferrari f458 is in my mind
January 22, 2010 8:44 am
 GRAVE GRAVE
I love this car and i loved it more when I saw top gear review of the LF-A. Yes it's much more expensive than any Lambo, 599 or 458 but remember that it's made out of carbon fiber, if the 458 made out of carbon fiber it will not be less than $230k, and being a limited production car increased its price also.
January 22, 2010 12:27 pm
 scratchy996 scratchy996
so what if it's made out of carbon fiber ? it's embarrassing actually because it weighs more than the F458. what's the use of the carbon fiber if they can't even make it light ? F458 : 1380kg , LFA : 1480kg. that's 100kg more, or 220lbs. i guess they used Chinese carbon fiber with a lot of led in it.
January 22, 2010 6:06 pm