TOYOTA Motor is expected to show a final version of its Lexus LF-A supercar concept at the 40th Tokyo Motor Show later this month before signing the car off for production next year.

But well-heeled aficionados who have been waiting for this Ferrari-beating two-seater since it was first shown two years ago might be in for a major letdown.

The LF-A - believed to pack a five-litre 500-horsepower V10 capable of 320kmh - may not be destined for the Singapore market.

According to insiders at Toyota distributor Borneo Motors - a subsidiary of London-listed Inchcape - the LF-A is meant for the United States and perhaps Japan.

Toyota Motor Asia-Pacific, however, says it is too early to ascertain which markets the LF-A will go to as the car is "still a concept right now". The regional office based in Singapore could not even say when the car will be officially launched.

When Toyota demonstrated the LF-A's prowess on the Fuji Speedway F1 circuit two years ago - in front of several dozen North American journalists and one writer from Singapore - it indicated that a production car should be out next year.

If indeed the Lexus supercar, which may have a Toyota-badged clone called the Supra, is not going to be for Singapore, it will be another blow to Borneo Motors.

Because as sure as the sun rises in the east, parallel importers will bring in the car as soon as it is available in right-hand-drive Japan. With its power, good looks and credentials, the LF-A will send the tills ringing loud and long at the non-authorised importers.

Borneo Motors has already lost one Lexus model from its line-up, when Toyota stopped making right-hand-drive ES sedans last year. The ES has long been a core model here, making up as much as one-third of Lexus sales.

Is Toyota starting to lose touch with what its customers want? The answer lies in how it has refused to export the Wish seven-seater to Singapore.

The model quickly became the top parallel-import car when it arrived four years ago. Last year, over 6,000 units were sold - more than Singapore's total sales of multi-purpose vehicles.

It is understandable that a manufacturer caters to the whims of its largest market - America, for instance - but it will be a folly if that consuming focus comes at the expense of the company's emerging markets.

After all, the Asia-Pacific is where Toyota enjoys its largest market shares. It cannot afford to take that loyalty for granted - not when Chinese carmakers (laugh all you like) have the same hunger the Japanese had 50 years ago.

Certainly, Toyota is a top-notch manufacturer. Other manufacturers, automotive or otherwise, look to it for inspiration. That is why engineers are revered at Toyota, with many top positions reserved for these geniuses.

But engineers have never been good marketers. Toyota should admit that and start listening to its customers, via its distributors and dealers.

It has to be far more nimble and flexible in the way it decides which product goes to which market. Otherwise, it risks facing the same fate as other giants before it, such as General Motors and Ford.

Of course, when you are No.1 and making more profits than all your rivals combined, it is hard to see that something is broken and needs fixing.