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Just because a car is powered by electricity doesn’t mean it can’t be full of emotion and deliver fun. In fact, that seems to be the directive coming from Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda to his engineering team.
On Friday, at Lexus’s debut of its LFA Concept, the car’s project manager, Takashi Doi, told The Drive, “of course,” when asked if the electric supercar would make sound.
“Sound creation and development is very important. Being a BEV (Battery Electric Vehicle), sound development is important,” Doi said.
Development of what the car will sound like is already underway, according to Doi. But things aren’t finalized in terms of direction. Doi said the team is “well aware there’s all kinds of BEV sports cars, and we are evaluating,” the executive said in regards to what the competition’s done versus what his team will deliver. But I wouldn’t put money on the LFA faking Hellcat-like noises.
“The sound development is something we can start with a clean, fresh slate. It’s something we are very serious about. Whether we try to follow traditional engine sounds or start with something new, it’s something to decide,” Doi said.
The development of sound for the electric Lexus supercar? “That’s a directive of Morizo,” Doi said. ‘Morizo’ is the name by which Toyoda himself races under when behind the wheel for Toyota Gazoo Racing.
The interior of the electric Lexus LFA concept. Joel Feder
As for fake shifts or a manual transmission, Doi said, “Fun and emotion are important, but so is performance. Looking at all options, but each thing has to fit the specific car’s mission.”
The N-Shift programming in the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N has already been proven to make the high-performance EV slower around a race track. But they are also hilarious, and shockingly realistic. Are we after lap times or fun? With the ability to turn this stuff off at the touch of a button, it’s actually possible to have both in one car.
Toyota actually patented a manual transmission for EVs back in 2022. Then, in 2023, the automaker filed another patent for a manual transmission for an EV—only, this one included the ability for the setup to stall, so it feels real.
Of course, putting a fake transmission in an electric car isn’t required to give it fake shifts. Porsche is updating its Taycan sports sedan for 2027 with such behavior, via a simulated transmission.
Whether fake shifts will be part of the electric LFA’s mission is yet to be decided, but sound will definitely play a role. The only question is, what exactly will the electric LFA sound like? What should it sound like?
Toyota provided travel, lodging, and raw fish which I definitely did not eat to bring you this first-hand report.
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As Director of Content and Product, Joel draws on over 15 years of newsroom experience and inability to actually stop working to help ensure The Drive shapes the future of automotive media. He’s also a World Car Award juror.
