Rumor: Next-Gen LFA to be BMW Hybrid?
The LFA was a rousing success no matter how you slice it for Lexus. It showed the world that Toyota could build a super car on the level of the world’s most prestigious manufacturers, it’s set lap records on the Nurburgring, it’s earned praise from journalists, and it sounds like heaven. Of course they’re going to make another one.
But a hybrid?
It’s not as strange (or as boring) as you might imagine. Way back in 2012 when Toyota and BMW first announced their partnership, did mention that they were planning on building a car that was both sustainable and sporty. I had just assumed that they would be focusing on building something more accessible. According to “a source close to the two companies”, that might not be the case. At least not yet anyway.
Their first collaborative project will be a sequel to the LFA. Instead of the V10, however, they’ll likely use a twin-turbo BMW V8 along side their in-house hybrid tech.
Honestly, that all sounds like stuff that Toyota could’ve done on it’s own. But the guys a motoring.com.au make a good point regarding the i8 and i3. While Toyota worked some amazing feats of engineering with carbon fiber in the LFA, they haven’t been able to integrate it in to their mass market vehicles. BMW, on the other hand, is well on it’s way to doing just that with the i3 and the i8.
We’ll see how this pans out. Again this is all speculation at this point, but if it’s true, that could mean some interesting things in Lexus’ future. If they collaborate on mass produced carbon fiber technology, you can bet it’ll be in a Lexus first.
via [Motoring.au]
