The all-electric Lexus LFA may get simulated gear shifts, a feature that would let the battery-powered successor mimic some of the drama of the V10 original it replaces. The idea comes from a recent Toyota patent filing described by CarScoops, not from any Lexus announcement, and nothing in the reporting confirms that the production car will carry it.
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CarScoops, which published its report on Oct. 20, is plain about the limits of the comparison. A simulated transmission can add rhythm and feedback to an electric car, but the writer, Brad Anderson, says it will not match a high-revving, naturally aspirated V10, and he considers that engine’s return unlikely.
What the Toyota patent describes
CarScoops points to a patent covered by CarBuzz, which describes electric motors adjusting torque across six simulated gears to mimic a traditional automatic or a dual-clutch transmission. The car briefly cuts motor power during each shift, and Hyundai’s system works in a similar way. The patent argues that a pseudo clutch pedal appeals to some drivers but that many people cannot drive a manual, so it targets drivers who want a sequential-shifter feel from paddles or a conventional shift lever.
The patent filing, in short, describes a simulated sequential gearbox rather than a clutch-and-stick manual, and CarScoops reads it as a clue to what the new LFA’s shifter might do. Whether Lexus applies it to the LFA is the open question, because the patent belongs to Toyota and does not name the car, and neither company has said the feature is planned.
Toyota’s long run of fake-manual experiments
Toyota has been working toward this for years. CarScoops says the company demonstrated a fake-manual system in late 2022 and filed a patent earlier in 2026. A separate CarScoops report on the Toyota EV manual patent, dated June 8, 2026, says that earlier design combines a clutch pedal and gear lever with synthesized engine sounds, and that a prototype appeared in a Lexus UX300e in 2022.
In that design, software calculates a virtual engine speed and checks whether the selected gear suits the situation. If the revs are too low when pulling away, the fake engine cuts out, which can cut motor torque and stall the car. The system may judge whether the driver has manual experience and adjust assistance, with novices getting automatic hill-hold and experienced drivers getting less help, and the patent reportedly includes a launch control function for more aggressive starts, which would suit a car built to feel like a supercar rather than an appliance.
That report also notes regulatory hurdles. In 2025, Lexus assistant chief engineer Yasuyuki Terada said unresolved questions had held up the program, including how licensing would treat a car whose simulated manual could be switched on and off. It is unclear whether Toyota will build the system for production, which is a reason to treat any LFA shifter as a possibility until Lexus says otherwise.
Hyundai got there first, and the LFA is a new kind of car
Toyota would not be the first to try it. CarScoops notes that Hyundai pioneered the technology on the Ioniq 5 N and later added it to the Ioniq 6 N and the Genesis GV60 Magma, and that Mercedes-AMG and Porsche have since used similar systems. The Genesis variant is covered in CarScoops’ GV60 Magma review. A later patent covers a different fake transmission that drops the third pedal and shifter and looks more like Hyundai’s setup, which suggests Toyota is exploring more than one way to give an electric car a sense of gears and may not have settled on the version that would reach a showroom.
The second-generation LFA was shown as a concept in December 2025. Lexus describes it as a battery electric sports car concept, and its world premiere release says it is built on the all-aluminum body frame of the Toyota GR GT. The concept is 4,690 millimeters long, 2,040 wide and 1,195 tall on a 2,725-millimeter wheelbase, with two seats. Its exterior and interior were first shown as the Lexus Sport Concept at Monterey Car Week and the Japan Mobility Show in 2025.
Powertrain details are thin. Lexus gives no motor, battery or range figures for the concept, though CarScoops says a recent report claims the LFA could be the first production Toyota group model to use advanced solid-state battery cells; its piece does not name the source of that claim. A separate CarScoops report covers the battery rumor.
For now the simulated shifter is a patent and a possibility, and CarScoops itself frames it as something the LFA could have rather than something Lexus has promised. The LFA’s electric drivetrain is real as a concept, the V10 is gone, and whether any form of fake shifting reaches the production car depends on decisions Lexus has not announced, including whether enthusiasts will accept an engineered substitute for the sound and response of a V10 that defined the nameplate the first time around.
This article was produced with the assistance of AI and reviewed by Morning Overview editors prior to publication.
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