Lexus LF-Z Electrified Concept – an introduction to a tasty not-so-distant future?

Lexus has unveiled its latest concept car – the LF-Z Electrified. The company says it is an exercise in “driving performance, styling, and advanced technology set to be realised by 2025.” It should therefore be closer to achieving this than the LF-30.

Angles and edges characterise the exterior. The front, sides and rear all include sculpted body work with sharp lines and clear creases. The structure is low and wide, with a sloping roofline and protruding wheel arches. The body work is highest at the rear, making it appear chunky while simultaneously retaining the squashed stance.

The face of the concept car is particularly striking due to the square and dash perforations that pierce the body work. These start at either side of the central body panel and continue behind the semi-transparent black surface that would usually be dedicated to air vents on a combustion vehicle.

Above the black surface are the narrow headlamps that, on closer inspection, resemble two rows of sharp teeth. These match the slatted texture of the bumper at both the front and rear. In the middle of both the bumpers is a thicker, more prominent line, which pushes further into the body work at the front and includes a blue switch. This could be the charging port, though the details are currently unclear.

The rear is dominated by the black slatted area that rises from the bumper, with the central line illuminated. It also includes a lower ledge area that cuts into the body work at the side where an ingress provides emphasis to the width of the concept. A light bar is included, but with a twist – incorporating a 3D linear graphic that emphasises the ’Lexus’ text in the middle. In its geometric creases and folds, the exterior of the LF-Z resonates with a recent trend in car design. Take Kia’s EV6 and the recent efforts by Hyundai and DS as examples.

Another part of the exterior worth noting is the tail fin that sits in the centre of the enormous back roof. It is translucent and partially illuminated, giving it a delicate yet sharp look.

On the inside, Lexus has adopted a new concept called “Tazuna”, which translates from Japanese into “rein”. The company says that the layout has been inspired by the relationship between a horse and its rider… CDN isn’t so sure either.

What is clear, though, that the focus is on the driver. The seats are bucket-like in their shape, and the steering wheel is similar to those seen in jets. A trio of screens wraps around the back of the steering wheel, all of which point to the driver.

A linear pattern on the dash matches that of the slatted bumper area and the exterior lighting. The ambient lighting inside the cabin mainly comes from a pattern that runs along the floor and is seemingly integrated into the fabric, though the haptic controller between the back seats is also illuminated. The panoramic roof allows light to seep in during the day, but is integrated with electrochromic glass to allow dimming and shade functions.

Lexus has opted to adorn the upper section of the doors in a wooden finish. This familiarity points to the fact that the company hopes to be able to execute a design close to this in its production models over the next four years. It looks to be a little optimistic, but to be fair, there is no long list of autonomous driving technologies.