The Lexus brand's first supercar — the LF-A — will be offered with a hybrid powertrain, according to Lexus U.K. director Steve Settle. "This car will not be an adaptation of anything that already exists – it will be something entirely different," he said. "It promises to set a fresh standard in the hybrid technology to which Lexus is totally committed and we are very excited about it," Settle told MotorTrader. Rumors of a hybrid LF-A first surfaced in late August 2006, when Autocar reported a version of the car would be offered with the same hybrid system as the Lexus 600h sedan. The 5.0-liter V8 coupled with an electric motor will produce a total output of 435 horsepower, the magazine said. The regular LF-A is expected to be offered with a high-revving V10 producing over 500 horsepower. Lexus revealed an updated LF-A concept in January, design to closely preview the production car, expected to arrive in late 2008 as a 2009 model. Source: leftlane news
Heh, I was just thinking about this idea earlier. Looks like Toyota's ready to roll with high-performance hybrids! I dearly hope this think kicks the tail of every production Mustang, 2009 Camaro, GTO, Charger, and Challenger out there. I hope it kicks their collective butts because then there will be no advantage to having a humongous gas-guzzling V-8! An electric motor produces a ton of off-the-line torque, in a way that no conventional engine can match. (Keep in mind, I use to be a 'Mopar or No Car' kind of guy, a man who thought that the only cars that were worth their weight had engines like the big-block LS6 454, the 428 Cobra Jet, the 440 Six-Pack, and the awe-inspiring 426 Hemi! Driving a Prius gave me a paradigm shift in the way I look at vehicles)
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(ozyran @ Apr 29 2007, 07:13 PM) [snapback]432295[/snapback]</div> Except that you can buy 4 Mustang V8s for the price of an LF-A. It's expected to be £100,000 or the price of an F430.
True, but that's optional. This could also open the door for a hybrid variant of the Supra that's slated to be released soon, and if anyone can make a hybrid sports car perform, it's Toyota. And again, I think it will prove that you don't need a 7.0L, 6.0L, or even a 5.7L V-8 to go fast. This one will do it with a 5.0L V-8 and deliver the performance of a 6.0L V-8 and have fuel economy somewhere in the range of a 3.5L V-6...when the driver isn't driving like Mario Andretti (or Michael Schumacher, or Carol Shelby, or [insert name here]). <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE("Tideland Prius")</div> That may be true, but they've got to start somewhere. For the price of one (1) new Toyota Prius I could go buy two (2) Kia Rios! Or, for the price of one (1) new Highlander Hybrid, I could go buy two (2) Hyundai Tucsons. Alright, I made a mistake comparing a Mustang, Camaro, or Corvette to a Lexus, but all I'm trying to do is voice my opinion - and my hope
6.0 V12 you mean. hahaha, yeah. It's true though. Someone once said (no names mentioned) that the GS450h is useless cause if you drive it like a performance car, you don't get good mileage. and here I am thinking, yeah but for the times you drive like a sane person, you're not paying the fuel penalty.
