No V10, no gearbox, no clutch pedal, but maybe the kick of a race car gearshift. A new Toyota patent application shows how an electric car can fake the jolt of a sequential racing gearbox, and US media link it to the coming electric Lexus LFA.
This is a patent, not a confirmed feature. But for fans who still miss the original LFA’s screaming V10 and paddle shifts, it is good news to read.
Quick facts
- What: Toyota patent application for simulated gearshifts in an electric car, filed with the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)
- First reported: by CarBuzz on 13 October 2026, then by Motor1 on 15 October
- How it works: the motor’s torque drops to zero for a moment, then comes back, sometimes with a short overshoot, like a clutch biting
- No clutch pedal: shifts with paddles or a lever, up and down
- Modes: softer or harder shift feel, for example in sport or race mode
- Car linked to it (reports): the electric Lexus LFA, based on the LFA Concept shown on 5 December 2025
- Confirmed by Lexus for production? No
A fake shift that feels real
An electric motor does not need gears. It pulls hard from zero rpm, so most EVs have only one speed. That is fast, but many drivers find it a bit boring.
The patent describes software that lets the driver pick virtual gears. Each “gear” gets its own torque curve. During a shift, the system cuts the motor’s torque to zero for a short moment, just like a real car when the clutch opens. Then the torque comes back, and it can briefly go above the target, to copy the “snap” of a clutch grabbing again.
It works for upshifts and downshifts. The timing and strength decide how each shift feels, and a race mode could make the kick much harder than a comfort mode.
Why Toyota dropped the third pedal
Toyota has shown fake manual EV prototypes before, with three pedals and a gated gear lever. CarBuzz reports that this system was so realistic that the car could even stall.
The new patent explains why Toyota may skip the clutch this time. It says a clutch can be hard for drivers who only know automatics, and that most EV buyers have little or no manual experience. Without a pedal, shifts can also be quicker, which is closer to how a race car’s sequential gearbox works.
The LFA connection
Lexus revealed the LFA Concept on 5 December 2025, next to Toyota Gazoo Racing’s GR GT and GR GT3. It is a battery-electric two-seat sports car. Lexus first showed it as the “Lexus Sport Concept” at Monterey Car Week 2025 and the Japan Mobility Show 2025.
Official numbers so far are only the size: 4,690 mm long, 2,040 mm wide, 1,195 mm tall, on a 2,725 mm wheelbase. It uses the all-aluminium body frame of the GR GT. Lexus has not given power, battery or range figures.
Here is one clue. The concept’s steering wheel has shift paddles marked plus and minus. In Lexus’ own cockpit photo, the screen also shows a big “3” above the letter “M”, which looks a lot like a gear display. That is our reading of the photo, not a Lexus statement. Reports expect the production car around 2027; Lexus has not confirmed a date.
The original LFA set the bar
The first LFA is a true legend. Its 4.8-litre V10, built with Yamaha, made 560 PS and revved to 9,000 rpm. It used a six-speed automated manual gearbox with paddles, and only 500 cars were built from December 2010 to December 2012.
That sound and those hard, mechanical shifts are what made the LFA special. A new LFA without them would need something big to win fans over.
Rivals
Toyota is not first. The Hyundai Ioniq 5 N already sells a similar idea called N e-shift, with paddles and fake engine sounds, and Porsche has filed patents in the same area. Toyota’s twist is the focus on the feel of a real sequential race gearbox.
If you want real gears from Toyota, there is another option: the GR GT uses a new 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 with an 8-speed automatic and an electric motor in a rear transaxle.
Our take
This is our opinion: we like that Toyota is thinking about how an electric LFA should feel, not only how fast it is. The Ioniq 5 N proved that fake shifts can be fun, and a harder, race-style kick fits the LFA name.
But a patent is only a patent. Car makers file many ideas that never reach a showroom. And even the best software will not replace a V10 at 9,000 rpm for many fans. Lexus must show real numbers, and soon.
Your turn
Would fake race-car shifts make an electric LFA exciting for you, or is an LFA without a V10 not a real LFA? Tell us in the comments.
Sources: CarBuzz (Toyota patent, 13 Oct 2026), Motor1 (LFA EV patent details, 15 Oct 2026), Lexus / Toyota Global Newsroom (LFA Concept), Toyota Global Newsroom (GR GT, GR GT3 and LFA Concept).
Photos: Lexus / Toyota Motor Corporation (official press images); Richard Cabrera (CC BY-SA 2.0) via Wikimedia Commons.
