With the industry still reeling from the havoc the pandemic has caused, automakers — even the biggest ones like Toyota — have been forced to make a lot of tough business decisions, including canceling the development of upcoming models. The Lexus LC F appears to be the newest model to make that ignominious list of models that we won’t get to see anymore, at least not anytime soon.
Why is it important for the Lexus LFA to have a successor
It developed impressive luxury cars and SUVs, but it didn’t capture the public’s mind in ways that Toyota wanted. The Japanese auto giant wanted Lexus to make a splash, and in the company’s mind, the best way to do that was for Lexus to go out of its comfort zone and roll out a halo model that would catch people’s attention. The Lexus LFA did that.
It became one of the most talked-about performance cars of the entire decade, never mind the fact that its production run lasted all of two years from 2010 to 2012. But it left a lasting impact, reinventing Lexus’ identity in the process.
Since then, Lexus has succeeded in rolling out performance models. None have come close to approaching the LFA’s stature, and as the years continue to pile up, the cries for an LFA successor have grown louder. Lexus heard those cries, and the clamouring partly helped in bringing the LC luxury coupe to life in 2016. The plan was to use that model as the launching board for the successor of the LFA: the Lexus LC F.
What’s the current status of the Lexus LC F?
Sit down if you haven’t heard the news. This is going to be a tough one to swallow. Sure, Lexus has yet to confirm the existence of the LC F, even in prototype form. But rumors have been raging that the Japanese brand has been busy in the lab, cooking up plans to develop the LC F with the goal of promoting it as the successor to the mighty LFA. That was the plan, at least until the COVID-19 global pandemic brought the whole world to its knees.
According to a report filed by Japan’s Carsensor, the Lexus LC F has been shelved, largely due to the uncertainty brought by the coronavirus pandemic. It’s unclear if Toyota has plans to bring back the project in the near future, but as it is, the auto giant needed to reevaluate and make a decision on a lot of its projects. Unfortunately, the low production nature of the LC F, coupled with the expected minimal profits the automaker would rake in from the model — halo models aren’t moneymakers — contributed heavily in the decision to close down the project.
Should we still expect an LFA successor to arrive?
Never say never, especially in the auto industry, though, at this point, it’s hard to imagine Toyota giving Lexus the green light to bring the project back to the table soon. A lot of industries have suffered because of the pandemic, not the least of which is the auto industry.
Other car brands have made similar moves, and as long as the pandemic isn’t controlled, it’s hard to imagine the industry returning to business as usual.
That said, rumors of a successor to the Lexus LFA have persisted for the better part of the decade. At some point, hopefully not too far away, Lexus is going to bring back these plans. It’s unclear what the plans will look like when it does happen, but just because the LC F project has been canned, that doesn’t mean a new one isn’t going to happen. We’ll just have to wait a little while longer to see whether the LFA does get a successor or not.
Source: Car Sensor