Lexus is going to build an electrified halo performance car that’ll take over the very polished baton passed on by the old V10-engined LFA supercar. Currently, it resides under the name ‘Electrified Sport,’ and points to a future where EVs are fun to drive. Today, we can see new pics of the swoopy coupe.
”?"It captures the company’s intention to build electrified cars with an authentic performance dimension,” says Lexus. Indeed, an acceleration time of ”?"around two seconds” is being targeted, which is what you’d officially term ‘nuts.’
Another figure revealed was the LFA successor’s electric range, claimed at 700km.
However, speaking to TopGear.com earlier this year, Lexus boss Koji Sato said: ”?"Specs are of course important, but I really want this car to be a halo, a showcase for the future of Lexus driving dynamics, to express the overall Lexus driving signature.
Sato revealed the team were working on a manual transmission for the super-EV, too. ”?"It’s a hobby of mine,” he said, ”?"a crazy thing. I’m looking for better engagement, even in an EV. I want another link from the car to the driver. It’s not just about efficiency. I love cars and want something different.
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Lexus confirmed that to further this goal of a ‘manual’ gearbox for EVs, it has developed a research prototype based on the UX300e crossover, ”?"equipped with a gear lever and a clutch pedal. Lexus electrified chief engineer Takashi Watanabe noted that it is ”?"a software-based system, so it can be programmed to reproduce the driving experience of different vehicle types, letting the driver choose their preferred mapping.
Other tech likely to feature in the LFA successor included torque vectoring and the company’s steer-by-wire setup (that removes the physical connection between the steering wheel and driven wheels). Lexus reckons this provides better low-speed agility and highway stability. ”?"The system makes automatic micro-corrections when driving over uneven surfaces,” said Lexus.
One thing we don’t know is when we'll see a production version of the Lexus Electrified Sports, so for now, we’ll just have to look at these new pics.
More photos of the Lexus Electrified Sport
NOTE: This article first appeared onTopGear.com. Minor edits have been made.
