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Lexus has confirmed that its sole remaining F model — the RC F — will be discontinued as its production ends in 2025. However, it won't be the end of an era for the high-performance cars from Toyota's luxury brand, as a new generation is already in the works.
The first will be the Lexus LBX Morizo RR, named after Toyota's energetic chairman Akio Toyoda and his alter ego "Morizo." This model relies on a collaboration with Toyota Gazoo Racing, combining the best of the GR Yaris and integrating them into a small Lexus SUV, which is usually a hybrid.
At the 2025 Tokyo Auto Salon, Gazoo Racing chief engineer Naohiko Saito told Auto Express that the idea for the LBX Morizo RR “originally came from Morizo-san’s passion.” He added, “He wanted us to create a sports car ourselves, designed and manufactured in our factory. Since we have the [GR]86 and Supra, but those products were developed in collaboration with our partners, this time he told us to learn from motorsport.”
Unfortunately, there are no plans to bring the LBX Morizo RR to the European market just yet, although technically there's no reason it couldn't be sold there. However, this is just one of the first steps in a much bigger plan for Lexus.
The Japanese brand is also on track to relaunch its high-performance F sub-brand, with a V8-powered supercar as its centerpiece.
This new model will be developed to match the new GT3 class race car for the World Endurance Championship. This car will follow Gazoo Racing's strategy of using motorsport as a source of inspiration for new road models. Saito said: "We have to collaborate deeply because learning from motorsport is a philosophy we share."
We'll see more of this supercar later this year. It will be powered by a new V8 positioned in front of the driver but behind the front axle, making it front-mid-engined. While it won't be a direct successor to the iconic LFA, it will be its spiritual heir and a potential rival for models like the Lamborghini Temerario, Ferrari 296 GTB or Maserati MC20.
Prototypes of this car have already appeared at the Nurburgring, where they are equipped with aerodynamic technologies and composite materials, indicating that Lexus, as with the LFA, will likely first test this race car on the track before releasing a production model.
This would meet Toyoda's request for learning based on the motorsport program, with Saito adding, "We suffered a lot of failures during racing to make the car better. Then, in the future, we can improve it with those lessons."
Together, these two programs form a new two-phase approach to Lexus’ high-performance model roadmap, meaning there is ample opportunity across the Lexus lineup to incorporate Gazoo Racing’s high-performance components into other future models to compete with brands such as Mercedes-AMG, Porsche and BMW M.
The possibilities could be endless, and Lexus is likely looking at the success of flagship models like the BMW M5 or Audi RS7 and assessing how it can develop a model that will compete with them.
There have already been such examples, for example, with the GS F, but since all major brands now use hybrid powertrains, Lexus has every chance to use its experience in this area.
It is also considering creating high-performance variants for one or more of its SUVs, as these models currently account for the majority of Lexus sales worldwide.
