Report: Lexus to Lease, Not Sell LFA Supercar to Avoid Speculators

3277 Views 9 Replies 6 Participants Last post by Jeff Taylor, Mar 8, 2010

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Discussion Starter · Nov 23, 2009

Lexus has announced that it will lease, rather than sell the 500 LFA supercars it intends to built in an effort to avoid speculators and resellers profiting off the car's rarity. Valued at $375,000, the LFA will be offered as a two-year lease, with Lexus actually owning the vehicle. It is not clear if the original leases will be able to re-lease the vehicle after the point.

Brian Smith, VP of sales at Lexus says the company wants people out driving the cars and not storing them in a museum or flipping them for an inflated profit.

In the past, automakers like Ferrari have made customers sign contracts saying that they would not sell a vehicle within one year of taking delivery.

The LFA is powered by a 552-hp 4.8-liter V10 engine. It can hit 62 mph in 3.7 seconds and tops out a 202 mph! Lexus says it will begin production of its first supercar in December of 2010 and vehicles will only be built once they are ordered.

More: Report: Lexus to Lease, Not Sell LFA Supercar to Avoid Speculators on AutoGuide.com

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ISFChamp

· #2 · Nov 23, 2009

I was very surprised they didn't announce that from day one...

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IsFly168

· #3 · Nov 23, 2009

how much is it gonna cost to lease? $5000 a month? lol

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Flipside909

· #4 · Nov 24, 2009

I thought this was already common knowledge since the debut? I knew about it when the info was passed onto us in Miami during the Press Preview @ Homestead-Miami Raceway.

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ISFChamp

· #5 · Nov 24, 2009

Not mentioned to the public until the report came out. My guess is the lease will be anywhere from $4-6k a month.....

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beatlepd

· #6 · Nov 24, 2009

I think Lexus has blown this big time...plain and simple. Why can't they let people purchase them and sign agreements similar to Ferrari? To just allow these cars to be leased for 2 years is dunce.

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Jeff Taylor

· #7 · Nov 24, 2009

This could either be brilliant, or go horribly wrong. I'm not in the target demographic, but I don't like leases. I'd rather own the car and with as short of a loan as possible. I would assume most people with this kind of money probably pay cash. My salesman at the Lexus dealer said the majority of people pay cash for their cars. I don't remember the exact percentage he quoted, but I remember it being pretty large.

Presumably the advantage would be that speculators wouldn't want to hassle with the lease and wait two years before they could try and sell it off. It will be interesting as well to see how well these cars hold their value after the lease is up.

Jeff
08 Smoky Granite Mica IS F

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Flipside909

· #8 · Nov 24, 2009

beatlepd said:
I think Lexus has blown this big time...plain and simple. Why can't they let people purchase them and sign agreements similar to Ferrari? To just allow these cars to be leased for 2 years is dunce.

This is not unheard of. Ferarri has done something like this with one of their vehicles. It's a good way to keep brokers from trying to inflate the LFA's price. I think it's smart. There is an option to buy after the 2 year lease.

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Jeff Taylor

· #9 · Nov 26, 2009

Jalopnik is reporting the the "lease" isn't a traditional lease, but Lexus will hold the title for two years to make sure speculators don't turn around and sell it immediately. The actual payment/finance/lease terms are negotiable.

http://jalopnik.com/5410991/

Jeff
08 Smoky Granite Mica IS F

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Jeff Taylor

· #10 · Mar 8, 2010

Car and Driver is reporting that the number of pre-orders for the LF-A has now exceeded the planned production number. Good news!

http://blog.caranddriver.com/orders...log+(Car+and+Driver+Blog)&utm_content=Twitter

Jeff
08 Smoky Granite Mica IS F

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