Lexus Plans Successor to LFA Supercar

Toyota Motor Corp.'s Lexus brand says it has received approval to develop a successor to its 552-hp LFA supercar, eventually.

The original $375,000 LFA went out of production two years ago after 500 units were built. That car, developed over a decade, started as a $120,000 performance coupe, according to Lexus Executive Vice President Mark Templin. He tells reporters in Japan the car's price tripled as the vehicle gained more high-tech features.

Lexus showed a zoomy concept, the LF-LC coupe, at the Detroit auto show in 2012. Templin won't say if that car will become the successor to the LFA. But does say the concept received more attention than any other car he has unveiled.

Like the LFA, the upcoming supercar will be intended to expand Lexus' reputation for quality by showing it also can make world-class performance cars.

Templin isn't clear when the next-generation LFA will arrive. He notes that Toyota President Akio Toyoda believes "every generation deserves to have a car like an LFA" and adds that the company is now "building an LFA for the generation we have today."