Arguably the most outlandish concept on Media Day of the 46th Tokyo Motor Show was the Lexus LF-30 Electrified (LF for Lexus Future and 30 to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the brand). The word avant-garde barely begins to describe its polarizing style that is unlikely to leave anyone indifferent. This is a a true concept, one that doesn’t foreshadow any future model or even what a Lexus model might look like in the near or distant future.
Basically Toyota gave a budget to designers and said here, let your freak flag fly. You could argue this is a possible exploration in what could possibly become a sedan in 20 years or more - or not.
All-electric
Like virtually every concept rolled out in Tokyo, the LF-30 is electric-powered. Lexus fitted it with a 110-kWh battery, which explains the huge bonnet at the front to contain that honk of a battery. Power is announced at nearly 550 hp and 516 lb-ft of torque, which theoretically would make it possible to reach 100 km/h from a stop in 3.8 seconds, with a top speed exceeding 200 km/h and a range of 500 km (on European cycle testing).
Naturally, all this is only theoretical. What is real, is that Toyota also announced that it’s working on an induction charging system for future models, which features standard with this concept (although it can be charged up using a charging station).
A platform that will exist in 2022
While the styling looks lifted straight from a sci-fi movie and will never see the light of day with its huge butterfly door and oversized grille, Lexus did confirm that the platform will be used starting in 2022 for electric models within the Toyota family of products.
Inside, Lexus plays the futuristic card with a retractable steering wheel that folds into the dashboard when the vehicle is in autonomous mode and deploys when the driver wants to take back control. All vehicle functions are controlled by gesture or voice. Passengers can stay connected thanks to the glass-roofed displays that allow them to stay online or interact with the car using augmented reality technology.