There’s news today on the USA’s allotment of Lexus LFAs—initially thought to be “undetermined” and dependant on worldwide demand, it has now been announced that the USA will receive 150 of the total run of 500 units:
A Lexus spokesman told Inside Line only 150 cars will be coming to the U.S. Previously, Lexus said only 10 LFAs will be available to Canadian customers. Lexus will only be offering the lease-only program in North America.
A story on the Canadian site wheels.ca said the LFA lease deal could cost up to $10,000 a month, including interest, taxes and a hefty insurance premium. Lessees will have a purchase option at the end of the lease.
This is on the heels of an Automotive News story yesterday that claimed Lexus was only offering leases on all 500 LFAs worldwide—a story that turned out to be untrue. That said, many of the lease details in the article are correct, but only in the USA and Canada:
The company will offer only two-year leases for the $375,000 two- seater, said Brian Smith, vice president of sales and dealer development for Lexus division. Lexus will hang on to the vehicle’s title.
“If someone buys it the first month and then decides to sell it, that could be damaging for the ownership experience,” Smith said. “If it is not controlled and hits the speculation market, all bets are off.”
“We want people out driving the car and not just parking it in a museum or selling it at an inflated price,” Smith said.
This lease arrangement, along with the murky buyer selection process, has the possibility of becoming a contentious issue, though that’s been diminished somewhat now that the total US allotment of 150 units has been announced. With such a small number of LFAs to draw on, it’s no wonder that Lexus USA is placing such strict guidelines on their purchase.
[Sources: Edmunds Inside Line & Automotive News]
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