Skip to footer

Lexus UX concept is a tiny luxury SUV with big tech

The UX hasn’t been confirmed for production but senior Lexus executives have said such a model makes sense, especially in markets where premium small cars are in hot demand. 

|
Gene J. Puskar/AP/File
The Lexus logo on display at the Pittsburgh International Auto Show in Pittsburgh.

Lexus is using the 2016 Paris auto show to present a concept car that hints at a new SUV positioned below the automaker’s NX. The concept is called the UX and was shown for the first time on Thursday.

The UX hasn’t been confirmed for production but senior Lexus executives have said such a model makes sense, especially in markets where premium small cars are in hot demand. We also know Lexus has filed trademarks for the  “UX 250” and “UX 250h” names in Australia and Europe, suggesting a market launch can’t be far.

The UX concept was designed by a Lexus studio located in France. The bold lines are meant to symbolize some of the advanced technologies featured in the concept, and possibly destined for future Lexus products. And while the UX may look like an SUV, its low ground clearance relegates the vehicle to on-road use only.

One unusual feature of the exterior is the "see-through" A-pillar, which is made from polycarbonate fins attached to an aluminum spine and is there to aid visibility. The side mirrors have also been replaced with cameras, helping to improve aerodynamics.

Inside is where the most interesting technology lies. Here you’ll find what Lexus calls the Kinetic Seat. The supports are designed to move, shifting with the weight of the occupant, for example when the car accelerates or decelerates. This kinetic interaction with the seat means the occupant will enjoy greater comfort during motion, as his or her head and spine remain stable.

Another innovation are the display systems, which incorporate hologram technology. The driver's instrument cluster houses a transparent globe, floating in the manner of a hologram, in which a combination of analog and digital information is presented. And the center console houses a crystal-like structure within which another hologram display serves as the main infotainment hub.

Sadly, there are no mechanical specs to speak of. However, we can expect any production version of the UX concept to be twinned with the 2018 Toyota C-HR, which features a similar size and shape.

For more from the Paris auto show, head to our dedicated hub.

You've read  of  free articles. Subscribe to continue.
Real news can be honest, hopeful, credible, constructive.
What is the Monitor difference? Tackling the tough headlines – with humanity. Listening to sources – with respect. Seeing the story that others are missing by reporting what so often gets overlooked: the values that connect us. That’s Monitor reporting – news that changes how you see the world.
editor@csmonitor.com
Subscribe
Mark Sappenfield
Editor

Dear Reader,

About a year ago, I happened upon this statement about the Monitor in the Harvard Business Review – under the charming heading of “do things that don’t interest you”:

“Many things that end up” being meaningful, writes social scientist Joseph Grenny, “have come from conference workshops, articles, or online videos that began as a chore and ended with an insight. My work in Kenya, for example, was heavily influenced by a Christian Science Monitor article I had forced myself to read 10 years earlier. Sometimes, we call things ‘boring’ simply because they lie outside the box we are currently in.”

If you were to come up with a punchline to a joke about the Monitor, that would probably be it. We’re seen as being global, fair, insightful, and perhaps a bit too earnest. We’re the bran muffin of journalism.

But you know what? We change lives. And I’m going to argue that we change lives precisely because we force open that too-small box that most human beings think they live in.

The Monitor is a peculiar little publication that’s hard for the world to figure out. We’re run by a church, but we’re not only for church members and we’re not about converting people. We’re known as being fair even as the world becomes as polarized as at any time since the newspaper’s founding in 1908.

We have a mission beyond circulation, we want to bridge divides. We’re about kicking down the door of thought everywhere and saying, “You are bigger and more capable than you realize. And we can prove it.”

If you’re looking for bran muffin journalism, you can subscribe to the Monitor for $15. You’ll get the Monitor Weekly magazine, the Monitor Daily email, and unlimited access to CSMonitor.com.

Subscribe to insightful journalism

QR Code to Lexus UX concept is a tiny luxury SUV with big tech
Read this article in
https://www.csmonitor.com/Business/In-Gear/2016/1001/Lexus-UX-concept-is-a-tiny-luxury-SUV-with-big-tech
QR Code to Subscription page
Start your subscription today
https://www.csmonitor.com/subscribe