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Lexus future concept to debut next week

Lexus to showcase styling and technology future with a sleek new concept

2021 Lexus Future Concept 4 Jpg
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Lexus has confirmed it will reveal what it describes as its "new brand vision" next week, on Tuesday March 30 at 9pm AEDT.

Initially teased in February, the new concept is intended to preview the next generation of Lexus design and technology.

With only shadowy teasers to go off, it remains to be seen how much of a departure we can expect from the Japanese premium brand's current look.

Indeed, with the next-generation Lexus NX having already surfaced online with an evolutionary design, it's unclear if the 'next generation' will make for any great styling leap from the Lexus look buyers already know.

To that point, Lexus branding chief Koji Sato said in February: "Furthermore, we will launch the first model under our new vision within this year", with more new models to debut from 2022.

2021 Lexus Future Concept 1 Jpg
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It's hard to say Lexus should look to dramatically revolutionise its styling language at all, given its still dramatic 'Spindle' grille has already spent the past decade-or-so embedding its hourglass shape in the minds of buyers.

As the image below suggests with its smooth and closed-off 'grille' area, we should expect the upcoming concept to boast an electric drivetrain. (At this point, just about any upcoming concept from every brand will likely be built around an electric strategy.)

In electric form, the concept is sure to lean on the brand's new Direct4 technology, built into parent company Toyota's E-TNGA architecture.

Direct4 is described as a new way of distributing torque to each wheel, allowing for much more precise control of torque splitting, traction and braking outputs.

It’s based on the notion of e-axles, where the front or rear axle is bundled together with an electric motor, transaxle and controller in one unit.

Lexus says that the key to controlling the outputs of the e-axles comes from the fact that both wheels are connected directly to the axle, rather than being filtered through diffs or pinion wheels.

The general proportions of the previewed concept point to an IS medium- or GS large-sized sedan, but, again, it remains to be seen if Lexus will stick to its existing conventions. After all, Hyundai's new Ioniq 5 is something of a segment buster in terms of exterior dimensions and interior space.

Watch for the new Lexus concept to appear next week.

2021 Lexus Future Concept 5 Jpg
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