Of all the concept cars unveiled at this year’s Japan Mobility Show, Lexus has some of the wildest.
All three have the abbreviation “LS” in the name, but that’s about where the similarities end. Starting with the LS Concept, it is a large-looking minivan riding on six wheels. The company argues that the extra axle improves comfort, but doesn’t explain why the front wheels are so much bigger than the rear ones. Sharp lines and edges accentuated with LED backlight, a near-vertical rear end and two separately illuminated transparent roof sections sum up for a rather unconventional design.
The driver’s cockpit is minimalistic and offers a compact-sized steering yoke along with a cascade of touchscreens, but physical buttons aren’t absent, either. The passenger space has three rows of seats and lets the middle row be folded down to form a level floor, or otherwise swiveled around to face the other way. Interestingly, the rear bench seat can be pulled apart to form individual seats with armrests.
The LS Coupe is a similarly styled crossover SUV featuring “suicide doors” and a pull-out trunk tray. The driver’s area is finished in darker shades than the rest of the cabin, and while there are seven seats inside, just like in the minivan, they all benefit from enhanced lumbar support and individual flap-style headrests. Last but not least, the display count is much greater than that of the MPV.
Rounding off the trio is LS Micro, which Lexus describes as an attempt to bring premium standards into the individual mobility segment of the market. It is a self-driving single-seater designed for megapolises with their heavy traffic. It has three wheels and square arches and gives off UFO vibes regardless of your viewing angle. The only seat resides behind a handle-less sliding door. The controls are non-existent, but owners can use gestures or a sensor panel mounted on the transparent front wall to issue commands to the self-driving AI on board.
