I think that Lambo and Ferrari should stop building their own cars and become partners with Toyota.

 

They will make more then 500. They plan on a Nurburgring version with a large wing. All of these cars are not being sold to private parties, they seem to be letting the dealers pick them up. I believe Lexus of Bellevue is slated for 2.

 

Wow, I thought they were limited to 500?

 

In my completely uninformed opinion, the limited quantities and the "selection process" are nothing more than an attempt by Toyota marketing to convince people that this car is actually special. I imagine there will be quite a few who are willing to take the risk and buy the LF-A as an investment, but I will be surprised to find that a full 500 private parties coughed up $375,000.

 

375K buys an LFA- 550hp

375K buys a LP640- 640hp

375K buys a 599 GTB HGTE- 615hp

To me, there are two obvious choices...


But thats just me

 

Lexus claims they have takers for all 500 and ~170 are coming to the US.

Automotive News -- May 31, 2010 - 12:01 am ET
Autonews.com

Lexus says it has orders and down payments for all 500 of the $375,000 LFA sports cars it plans to build.

Selling the Lexus brand in the backyard of BMW, Audi and Mercedes is tough enough. But promoting the Japanese brand's LFA sports car to an elite European clique accustomed to Porsche and Ferrari must be a hopeless cause, right?

Actually, the pitch has been easier than expected.

Parent Toyota already has booked orders and taken down payments for all 500 of the $375,000 sports cars it plans to build over the model's life.

Lexus isn't giving details of orders by region. But it says that a third of the orders from Europe were placed in Germany. Lexus brought eight of those buyers to this year's Nurburgring 24-hour endurance race in Germany to wine and dine them as two LFAs competed at the legendary circuit. Each buyer already had plunked down 100,000 euros ($125,715).

The future LFA owners said they were looking for a different car that exudes performance and prestige without being flashy or overwrought. Europeans also appreciate the doting customer service offered by Lexus, a refreshing contrast to the haughty elitism of rival brands.

One buyer, a manufacturing engineer who declined to be identified, compared the LFA to owning a rare, ultraexpensive mechanical wristwatch. "To most people, it's an unknown quantity," he said. "But true aficionados know its value."

Manfred Sattler, the owner of a software company and an auto racing team, picked the LFA primarily because it is different. As a German with a 500-hp Hummer H2 and two Dodge Vipers in his garage, he has an eye for the unorthodox.

Said Sattler: "About 20 years ago, I said I'd never drive a German."

 

I believe it, Lexus has amazing marketing and they found a way to pay for the development of their rotary loom so its a win/ win for them! Lexus artificially limited the cars to 500 in the same spirit of cars that were homolgation specials that had to have a certain amount of cars built or cars that were limited by production capacity.

But one thing to keep in mind these are all two year leases, so no one is actually ponying up $375k upfront to purchase one. The marketing speak even in this article borders on the ridiculous!

 

Well said!

 

I've been following the LFA "demand" as closely as I can over the past few months. Toyota now claims all cars are "sold". I know of one dealer that bought one and we don't know if this is a case where some of the 235 dealers bought them up or if actual non-automotive industry customers bought the cars. The reason I remain suspicious is because of the lack of buzz from actual verifiable buyers anywhere. It's always a case of either someone knows someone who knows someone or someone who's hiding their identity for some strange reason. It's without a doubt the strangest launch ever. Still, I can't see Toyota gaining anything by lying at this point except to save face. They won't put out how the car sales fall out by world region so we are left to take it at its face, that Lexus managed to sell 500 $100k performing cars for $400k, of which the unknown amount of US cars were sold on a two year lease, where none of the buyers are active known members of any car community. That's a lot to swallow. If they did pull it off as they said, they should be congratulated.

 

I would hardly call the LF-A performance numbers $100k performing. It outperforms many cars 200k+ range. Still, I think they would have done much better selling 1500 or 2000 of these at the 150k price point.

 

I don't think you can accuse other brands of being haughty or elitist when your car costs $375,000 and you have to apply to purchase it.
Reminds me of the Acura advertisement, "There are excuses for buying luxury goods, and there are reasons for buying them." One guy tries to explain why his ultraexpensive mechanical wristwatch was worth it.

That article reads like a press release.

 

IF, and that is a big IF, Lexus actually succeeded in pre-selling all 500 cars they deserve some applause. Right up there with Chrysler, who suckered in a ton of people to pay over MSRP on PT Cruisers! I physically saw the finance paperwork of a guy who paid $5000, yes THOUSAND, over MSRP for a PT Cruiser, a car that he had not driven or physically seen yet. The car he paid for didn't come in for another 2 weeks!

 

I just hope we see one show up at E@RTC someday.
Whether we like the car or not I'm sure we can all agree that we'd like to check it out if someone brought one out.

 

I would because they don't even begin to produce the cars until this December and it will take another TWO YEARS to deliver the cars. You seriously think those cars will still be $150k or even $200k performers by the time they reach their owner's hands?

 

I finally saw a TV spot for the car.
meh