It's a moon buggy, obviously. Oh no, wait, it's actually a Lexus concept car, called the LF-SA, which is a look ahead to a small new model from Lexus to rival the likes of the MINI and Audi A1. Dramatically styled, don't expect a final production model to look much like this - it's more about getting a feel for what the public thinks a small Lexus should be like. Designed in the Lexus ED2 studio in the south of France, it's also been created to mark the 25th anniversary of the original, ground-breaking Lexus LS400 saloon.
Lexus says that it's "also a driver focused vehicle, reflecting Lexus' vision that real driving experiences remain the ultimate luxury."
The LF-SA is just 3.5 metres long, which suggests that rather than platform sharing with the Toyota Yaris as we had expected, it might actually share its structure with the next-generation of ultra-compact iQ city car. The interior would seem to bear that out - instead of a conventional four-seat layout, Lexus says that it's a 2+2. The driver's seat is fixed, while the wheels and pedals adjust, but the passenger seat is on runners to allow access to the small seats in the back.
Most of the instrumentation is taken care of by a wide-angle holographic heads-up display. On the outside, the dramatic 'spindle grille' is drawn back and flows into the tops of the chunky front wings. The whole car is dramatically styled to appear as much an urban assault vehicle as a sensible small car. No word on the drivetrain but we can take a pretty safe guess that it's a version of the Yaris Hybrid's setup.
Will the actual Lexus small car look anything like this? Probably not, much, but it's an interesting starting point.
