California Autos Examiner

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Lexus LFA supercar will be available via lease only


Lexus LFA (courtesy: lexus)

I am not completely sold on the Lexus LFA supercar that will go on sale in January of 2011. Regardless of the price, which is a steep $375,000, I just do not find the design to be appealing.

Given that I am not in the target market for this car, I doubt that Lexus really cares what I think. What Lexus does care about, however, is the potential for the limited edition LFA to become a pawn in a speculator's chess game. You know the kind of people that buy every Zhu Zhu pet they can get their hands on and then attempt to flip them on eBay for tremendous profit? Well there are the same types of folks in the exotic car market as well. Lexus is hoping to nip the speculation issue in the bud by making the LFA available via a two year lease only, with the buyer being given the option to buy the car after the first two years are up.

Brian Smith, vice president of sales and dealer development for Lexus told Automotive News,

We want people out driving the car and not just parking it in a museum or selling it an inflated price.

Only 500 LFAs will be built over a two year span. Each LFA will be custom built to a buyer's specifications, you will not be able to simply buy one off the lot ready-made.

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