Currently the small crossover market is exploding. People like being able to have the versatility of a crossover or SUV but also get decent mileage and feel more environmentally conscious. Lexus is planning to allow just that by taking one of their subcompact concept cars and bringing it out for production. The Lexus UX was debuted at the Paris auto show and received a lot of attention and some pretty rave reviews.
As you can hopefully see from the pictures in this article, the Lexus UX is an exciting design to say the least. On the exterior, only 2 doors, making the crossover less useful for families, but arguably more desirable for Millennials with their reduced birth and marriage rates. Their adventurous nature may make this subcompact crossover perfect for them.
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The exterior of the car is a bevy of angles and curves that have you looking in one direction before you instantly cut off and are taken in another direction. As always with a concept car, it’s likely that will get toned down in the final car, but honestly, that almost seems a bit of a shame.
The concept car came with a holographic user interface. More than ever this isn’t something that will move from the concept to the actual car, however it’s a fascinating touch to the car. Holograms are used for all displays. The center console is large and is responsible for almost anything you need including climate and weather. While it’s probably that hologram technology is too expensive to be located in cars for now, it’s something Lexus will likely continue to work on and hope to be the first with production cars that feature it.
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The interior of the concept car will almost certainly be completely redone. Rather than a standard car interior, the seats are made of a series of straps, much like lawn chairs. While they are likely impractical for use, they do provide one interesting look into design future. Which companies are going to look for wars to break the mold on things that have been done the same way forever? Car seats have had innovation, but it’s always been minimal. Bench changed to bucket. Lumbar supports and additional safety and support features were added. They can make our butts warm now. But the overall design and concept and materials remain largely the same as 50 years ago. It was interesting to see Lexus take an alternative view on what seats could potentially be. Can similar new looks be given to pedals, steering wheels and other features that have basically always been the same? It will be something to follow with Lexus moving forward.
When can Lexus enthusiasts expect to see this UX made into a road going vehicle? Don’t hold your breath. Considering the concept nature of it, it’s unlikely a production model won’t be revealed until at least a year’s time, making a late 2018 release as a 2019 model the most likely scenario. If you positively can’t wait, there are lots of compact crossovers available in the meantime. The UX just has great potential to be one of the best!
