BMW LFA: 6 Letters You Probably Didn’t Expect to See Together

By adpock - September 18, 2015

Lexus BMW rendering

Just because BMW is one of Lexus’s main competitors, that doesn’t mean the two companies can’t work together as a team. And you know what’s a great way to build up camaraderie among former competitors? A common foe.

So thank the Audi R8 for being a really good car.

According to Motoring.com.au, “a source close to Lexus” says that BMW and Lexus are developing a new supercar, which will hopefully be more super than the R8. In other words: the LFA’s successor.

Apparently, BMW is getting beaten up in the German press for not having a legitimate supercar. Germans take fighting words seriously, so BMW is hard at work on their own supercar, with some assistance from a Japanese ally. Reportedly, Lexus and BMW have already jointly built a mid-engine, AWD prototype.

Each company’s supercar would have its own engine. Motoring says BMW’s power source will be a “bespoke M-developed straight-six twin turbo with plug-in hybrid technology courtesy of Toyota,” and the Lexus is being tested for “a detuned version of its Le Mans TS040 race car’s 520hp (388kW) 3.7-litre V8,” which could potentially make 1000hp (though it will likely be closer to 800hp to improve emissions, consumption, and endurance).

If you’ll recall, Toyota and BMW recently got together to work on the new Supra, among other things. So this supercar collaboration isn’t totally out of the blue.

The new supercars are expected to arrive in 2020, which just so happens to be the same year Tokyo hosts the Summer Olympics. Stay tuned!