Lexus had its European design team imagine vehicles for moon mobility

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  Lexus Lunar, by Yung Presciutti, is described thus: “Lexus Lunar is a massive transport vehicle designed to explore and discover the moon safely. The vehicle is divided into two parts: the bottom consists of a platform with 6 rugged wheels to give the freedom to go wherever you want. The upper part holds the living area. The two components of the vehicle can be also divided, with the upper portion detaching to create the start of a lunar colony.” [credit: Lexus ]

I love a good concept car. And I’m pretty keen on space—Charlie Brown bears responsibility for getting me interested at a very early age. So obviously my interest was going to be piqued by an email from Lexus containing a bunch of design sketches from ED², its European Advanced Design Studio thinking about what we might drive on the moon.

The designs—seven in total—were created by the design studio for an art and fashion publication called Document Journal, which invited a range of designers to imagine what life might be like on the moon. In Lexus’ case, the inspiration was the company’s recent LF-30 concept car; you may remember if from our coverage of last year’s LA Auto Show.

“When Document Journal approached us about the Lunar Design Portfolio, our team was working on the LF-30 Concept, which represents the “Lexus Electrified” futuristic vision for Lexus. The design team was already looking beyond near-term production and ahead to how advanced technology will change the way we interact with vehicles,” said Ian Cartabiano, President of ED². “The lunar project came at the right time, half way through the LF-30 development. It gave the team a chance to dream further out, and then apply some of the design language from the LF- 30 interior to their lunar proposals.”