Toyota filed trademark applications for “LFR” and “Lexus LFR” in Europe. The company submitted the paperwork on October 14, 2022. As of the date this story was posted, the European Union Intellectual Property Office is still processing the application. This process usually takes a few months before the agency decides whether to grant a trademark.
What makes this filing interesting is that Lexus has a well-established naming scheme consisting of two letters and three numbers. Occasionally, there is an “h” at the end to denote a hybrid powertrain. The LFA supercar is an exception to using this name.
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With this in mind, our interest in seeing the LFR trademark is piqued by the similarity of the name to LFA. However, these applications sometimes go nowhere because a carmaker thinks it can use the name but ultimately decides differently.
Another factor that makes this filing interesting is that Lexus is working on a new supercar. The Electrified Sport concept (gallery above) originally debuted in December 2021 and made its public debut at the 2022 Goodwood Festival of Speed. It was also showcased during this year’s Monterey Car Week.
Lexus says it plans to put the electrified Sport concept into production. The goal is to create a vehicle that has a range of more than 435 miles (700 km) and is capable of reaching 62 mph (100 km/h) in just over 2.0 seconds. Exact powertrain details remain a mystery.
A production version of the electrified Sport concept is rumored to use a simulated manual transmission. The technology reportedly limits power output from the electric motor and forces drivers to shift “gears” to unlock more. However, the system is reportedly still in experimental stages, so things may change.
While Lexus says it plans to develop an electrified sport concept. The timing of the debut is still a complete mystery.
The first in a new family of Lexus EVs is the RZ 450e. It goes on sale in the US before the end of the year.