Carmakers must be very optimistic about continuing their business in the distant future, with Porsche having designed a starship in collaboration with LucasFilms. Now, Lexus has revealed a vehicle for use on the moon, joining an elite group of design industry luminaries selected to contribute a suite of design concept drawings to Document Journal’s prestigious portfolio.
For Document Journal‘s issue No. 15, the art & fashion magazine invited a selection of the culture’s most compelling architects and designers to imagine human life on the moon for The Lunar Design Portfolio. How shall we live? What will it look like? What will we wear? What will we drive?
ED2, the European Advanced Design Studio for Toyota and Lexus dedicated to advanced concept proposals and groundbreaking design, was selected to contribute a lunar mobility concept. Drawing on the just-released LF-30 Future Concept vehicle, the studio created a series of 7 concepts from 5 different designers, all ready to tackle the lunar landscape.
”When Document Journal approached us about the Lunar Design Portfolio, our team was working on the LF-30 Concept, which represents the ‘Lexus Electrified’ futuristic vision for the brand. The design team was already looking beyond near-term production and ahead to how advanced technology will change the way we interact with vehicles,” said Ian Cartabiano, President of ED2.
“The lunar project came at the right time, halfway through the LF-30 development. It gave the team a chance to dream further out, and then apply some of the design language from the LF-30 interior to their lunar proposals,” he added.
Zero Gravity, the concept sketch selected to appear in the print issue of the magazine, is a single rider vehicle that evolves the LF-30’s ‘Lexus Electrified’ vision to incorporate Magnetic Levitation technology. The design reinterprets the signature Lexus spindle grille and uses the motorcycle-style of driving to employ the new concept of Tazuna (which mean ‘reins’ in Japanese): the fundamental human-centered philosophy. Inspired by how a single rein can be used to achieve mutual understanding between horse and rider, the steering control provides active driving enjoyment created by the direct communication between human and machine.
The other proposals are the Lunar Cruiser, a multipurpose vehicle that can provide a smooth ride over rough lunar terrain and the Cosmos, which has a lot of glass for a panoramic view. The Moon Roller is a rotating vehicle while the Moon Racer could be the future Lexus LX for exploring the moon. The Lunar Mission is a transport vehicle to take earthlings to the moon.
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