Lexus introduced the LF-A sports car concept during press days at the 2007 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan on Monday. - Reuters

DETROIT, Michigan (Reuters):

Toyota Motor Corp's premium Lexus division unveiled on Monday its first two cars under a new high-performance brand christened 'F' in a move it said was aimed at shedding its image as a maker of mainstream luxury vehicles only.

The production model, called IS-F, will be fuelled by a newly developed 5-litre, 400-plus horsepower V8 engine that accelerates to 60 mph in less than 4.9 seconds, Japan's top automaker said.

It will be available in showrooms "around this time next year," Lexus Group Vice President Bob Carter said at the unveiling at the North American International Auto Show here.

The 'F' designation was first conceived about 20 years ago with a project internally coded 'Circle-F'— the 'F' standing for "flagship".

That gave birth to the Lexus brand in 1989, but the project then evolved into the high-octane marque beyond Lexus' "normal engineering and deve-lopment process," Toyota said. Lexus, the top-selling luxury brand in the United States, also unveiled the LF-A sports car concept that it said was closer to a future production version compared with the pure-concept LF-A that debuted two years ago.

Powered by a 500-plus horsepower V10 engine, the LF-A would probably make a top speed of 200 mph, Carter said, hinting that a ready-for-market model would not be long in coming.