The Lexus LF-A has already established itself as one of the fastest machines in the world, but judging from the reception it’s gotten in its native land, the LF-A is just as fast in selling out. Reports out of Japan says that Lexus’ new supercar is becoming such a must-have that all 165 units of the car allotted for the Land of the Rising Sun have already been tagged faster than anyone would have ever expected.

Unlike the agreement in this side of the world – Lexus won’t be selling LF-As in North America, but rather will be leasing them to prospective customers – the LFAs in Japan are as free game as sushi on a Saturday night. That means that if you’re a wealthy Japanese with enough dough in tow, you can make an outright purchase of this 500-off supercar for a price of 37.5 million Yen – roughly around $410,000.

Now that 165 of the LFAs have all but been gobbled up, it remains to be seen how fast the remaining 335 cars will be snatched up. Suffice to say, it’s looking like Lexus’ new supercar is just as fast off the track as it is on it.

Lexus LF-A already sold out in Japan originally appeared on topspeed.com on Friday, 15 January 2010 11:00 EST.

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Lexus recently unveiled the compact hybrid LF-Ch Concept earlier this year at the Frankfurt Motor Show. The forward thinking hatchback is a preview as to what the future of luxury will be all about, set to compete head to head with other efficient space saving luxury vehicles like the the BMW 1 Series and Audi A3 when the LF-Ch makes its scheduled debut sometime in 2012.

In an official statement, Lexus General Manager Mark Templin said that “There is a group of buyers growing up now who won’t buy cars by the pound. We have already seen a structural shift to the smaller and lower-priced segments of the luxury market over the last couple years.” The compact premium segment has been strong in congested urban areas for years, especially in Europe. The challenge that not only Lexus but a host of other automakers are setting for themselves is how to get the American market to warm up to the idea of paying mare and getting less. One of the steps that will most likely be taken when the LF-Ch becomes production ready is the use of a conventional power train in order to pass the savings along to the customer, but with any success you can expect Toyota to release a hybrid versions shortly after.

Lexus LF-Ch Concept could be going into production by 2012 originally appeared on topspeed.com on Monday, 23 November 2009 15:00 EST.

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