Lexus UX Concept Previews Flashy Compact Crossover

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The Lexus UX Concept made its world debut at the 2016 Paris Motor Show and will preview how a compact crossover from Toyota’s luxury brand could look.

The radical Lexus UX Concept was fittingly penned in France and gives a peek at the design for a crossover that will slot below the Lexus NX. The funky concept looks like it will share a platform with the upcoming Toyota CH-R, which means that conventional gas-powered and hybrid models are expected. No details on powertrain were released during the global debut.

Combined with an even more polarizing and angular take on Lexus’s now-signature design language, the interior is actually where the UX Concept stands out the most. Looking like the cockpit of an alien spacecraft, the inside is just as angular as the outside. Starting with the non-traditional seats, a flexiblematerial is woven around a skeleton to make the seats more like hammocks, with the idea being that it will form to a driver’s body better than traditional seats. Lexus calls this a Kinetic Seat Concept.

The entry-level, four-seat crossover is clearly aimed at younger drivers who want a coupe-like drive but with the capability an SUV offers. Lexus says it designed the UX Concept using an “inside-out” philosophy, meaning it wants to blur the lines between where the car’s inside and outside meet. For example, the interior is structured around a visible inner skeleton, the A-pillar is designed to look transparent, and even the wheels are unique in how the rubber and rim meld into one.

The crossover is also filled with futuristic tech such as cameras in lieu of side mirrors, 3D gesture controls, hologram-style displays, and electro-chromatic windows. Expect Lexus to release a toned-down production version of this concept sometime in the next year.

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