First off, there will be only 500 LFAs, total, for the entire world, and they will be produced from December 2010 through December 2012 at the rate of approximately twenty per month. Lexus just announced the LFA officially at the Tokyo Motor Show this week, and in so doing also launched a process whereby potential buyers can express their interest in the car through an official channel. In the United States, anyone who is interested in buying an LFA must call a toll-free number: 866-LFA-4794. Operators will conduct a brief questionnaire to find out a bit about the person; why they are interested in the LFA; how they tend to use their cars, etc., and register the caller as a potentially interested customer. People can also visit the LFA Web site for complete information on the car:
www.lexus-lfa.com. The phone line will be open for three months, from mid-October 2009 to mid-January 2010. At that time, Lexus expects to have a sizable list of potential buyers.
Lexus will vet potential customers and choose a mix of people who they feel will help publicize the car. “We would prefer to have people who are driving the car or are influential in their community,” says Paul Rohovsky of Lexus marketing, “as opposed to somebody who wants to collect it and keep it in a private collection, never to see the light of day. We want to get those cars out and exposed.”
A specific number of cars has not been allocated for the United States. The U.S. allocation will come down to the level of interest in compared with the many other countries where the car will also be offered for sale.
Once a potential buyer is approved, they’ll be hooked up with a dealer and one of fifteen specialized Lexus sales consultants, who will help them spec out their car and take their $10,000 deposit. Buyers will be able to choose from some 30 exterior paint colors and a multitude of interior Alcantara and leather combinations.