Dare Steps Lexus To Maintain V8 Machines In The Electric Car Era

Supercar concept from Lexus with a V8 engine (doc. Drive).

JAKARTA Lexus seems to be affirming his commitment to internal combustion engines amid the global electrification trend.

According to Toyota Motor Corporation's Powertrain President, Takashi Uehara, one of the latest supercar concept models from the premium brand will use a V8 engine, not fully electric.

In an interview with the media at the Tokyo Motor Show, Takashi Uehara revealed that the V8 engine has links to the four-modular four-liter turbo machine platform being developed by Toyota. However, the version used for this supercar is designed as a twin-turbo V8.

"To reach maximum power, we have to design engine rounds that are also maximal. Therefore, we chose the V8 configuration."

"This statement confirms that Lexus pursues high performance and the sensation of driving typical conventional machines, which is still difficult to control pure electric motorcycles," he said as quoted by Drive, Saturday, November 1, 2025.

The model, allegedly named Lexus LFR, is referred to as the successor to Lexus LFA, the legendary supercar who became the Lexus' top performance icon in the 2010s.

The prototype of the vehicle has been seen being tested on public roads, featuring four exhaust pipes, with strong indications that the combustion engine is still its main heart.

This model is expected to launch in around 2026. Although not entirely electric, this vehicle is believed to carry hybrid technology or other forms of electrification to meet increasingly stringent global emission regulations.

This shows that Lexus continues to balance the tradition of engine performance with environmentally friendly innovation. The presence of a V8-engine supercar in the era of the dominance of electric cars became a bold statement from Lexus.