Toyota and Lexus plan the future between six-wheel super van and the new generation of the Corolla
Japanese group sails prototypes and concepts at the Japan Mobility Show
Vans as luxurious as a lounge, sports cars that launch drones to follow you around the track during a track day, but also everyday cars and futuristic mobility solutions with three-wheeled vehicles as boxy as a trolley but as spacious as the business seat of a jet. But also vehicles that can be assembled with a kit and a few tools to become work vehicles in emerging countries.
Toyota and its luxury brand Lexus are redefining their future to prove that the world's leading automotive group can stand up to the technological challenge of the Chinese brands, which are increasingly players on the global automotive scene. All this is on display at the Japan Mobility Show, open in Tokyo until 9 November.
A quarter of a century ago, Lexus challenged Mercedes and BMW with the LS (an acronym for Luxury Sedan). Today, with the LS Concept prototype, Lexus replaces the 'S' for Sedan with Space, inventing an ultra-luxury MPV with as many as six wheels, four of them at the rear, which redefines the concept of mobility, comfort and space on the move.
Also from Lexus, a prototype of a super-luxury single-seater vehicle with three wheels - two at the front and one at the rear - conceived as a true urban lounge for the city and daily commuting has also been hypothesised. For those who seek sportiness, an indispensable component of the most fun and passionate mobility, Lexus proposes a concept of a track sports car capable of launching drones that follow the driver during laps on the circuit.
These are the splinters of a future imagined by Lexus, while for Toyota, tomorrow appears closer and bears a familiar name: Corolla. The Japanese manufacturer is in fact preparing the successor to the world's best-selling car, which will adopt a futuristic design and a brand new on-board interface. It will still be a five-door saloon, available in electric or hybrid versions, with interiors that combine digital and analogue ergonomics.
The Lexus proposal
Lexus ha infatti svelato la sua nuova visione di brand: “Discover”. Più che un semplice slogan, si tratta di un principio guida che segna l’inizio di una nuova era per il marchio di lusso del gruppo Toyota. Dopo un’attenta revisione della strategia globale, Lexus si prepara a espandere il proprio universo oltre il mondo delle auto, integrando esperienze, servizi e soluzioni di mobilità inedite.Con il posizionamento del marchio Century nello spazio ultra-lusso, Lexus si muove liberamente nel segmento del lusso contemporaneo. L’obiettivo è stimolare i clienti a “scoprire” un modo diverso di vivere la mobilità, all’insegna della personalizzazione, della libertà e dell’esplorazione.Simbolo concreto di questa nuova direzione è la Lexus LS Concept, una visione rivoluzionaria che riscrive la storia del modello ammiraglia del brand. La tradizionale berlina di rappresentanza si trasforma in un “santuario” privato su ruote, una limousine a sei ruote progettata per offrire comfort, pri
