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Paris Motor Show

This is the bonkers Lexus UX concept

Paris concept previews upcoming sub-NX crossover

Published: 30 Sep 2016

It's a bit bonkers isn't it? You're looking at the Lexus UX concept that previews the company's upcoming sub-NX crossover. It's not just smaller, it's a bit more 'coupe-like'. Because nothing, darlings, is more on-trend than 'coupe-like'.

Now remember how cra-zeee the concept versions of the NX were? It got toned down for production, but not as much as many people expected. Like the NX concept, the UX was designed in Toyota's studio in the South of France, by a team led by Simon Humphries.

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The theme is called 'inside out'. Exterior creases career into the cabin, and the see through A-pillars take the sightlines outward. The laser-cut tyres meld seamlessly into the wheels too. And the door mirrors are half-out half-in: rear cams feed little screens nestling into the rear apex of the wings.

Beyond the drastically faceted exterior, the most striking bit is probably the 'Kinetic' front seats. Their frames flex and move to keep you in the best position for support. They regard upholstery as terminally obsolete, instead using bands of stretchy silk-like material.

Instruments float in a 3d crystal ball. The rest of the cabin follows a theme of deconstruction: structures aim towards each other, to suggest the existence of other elements that aren't actually present.

Lexus reckons that among all sizes of crossover, the little ones will be the biggest sellers in Europe before long. And of course at the same show, parent Toyota opened up the production C-HR.

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