Concept Cars of the Future: Lexus Hikari Is Electric, Autonomous, Shape-Shifting

If concept cars were weapons, the Lexus Hikari from designer Hanzhengyi (Leo) Pan is that bigger gun.

It’s beautiful, extremely elegant but also impressive in both design and capabilities. Sure, it’s still a concept for the time being and chances of it ever being made are slim to none, but that shouldn’t stop us from dreaming a little bigger. Darling.

The Idea

Lexus, Toyota’s luxury brand, is no stranger to futuristic concepts that make ample use of current and future tech to improve the quality of life or further other technological developments. This concept doesn’t come directly from Lexus, but from a Toyota automotive designer. As such, it should bear more weight than the renderings of a random designer who played for a few minutes on his computer.

Hanzhengyi (Leo) Pan works for Toyota as an exterior designer, and he imagines a Lexus inspired by the contrast between light and darkness. He calls it the Lexus Hikari Concept, with “Hikari” meaning “light” in Japanese.

Pan got the idea from architect Toyo Ito’s famous White U House, which used a U-shaped interior courtyard to create plays of light throughout the house. Built in 1976 in the center of Tokyo, the house was demolished in 1997, but it remains a significant reference for the way it incorporated the principle of light into architecture.

Pan then submitted his idea to Yanko Design, while also posting renderings to his social media.

A shape-shifting, driverless, electric car

Lexus Hikari incorporates the contrast between light and darkness into a passenger vehicle, through the means of Toyota’s e-rubber. The car actually comes with two alternating exteriors, one that allows light in and a second one that blocks it out, depending on the passengers’ preferences.

This is done through the use of e-rubber, a Toyoda Gosei-made novel material that, among other things, can hold together a surface and allows it to bend without creating creases. Much like a flower, the Hikari can open up to sunlight or close, creating a “cocoon” for the occupants.

This would add to the functionality of the vehicle: with the oval glass roof covered by the e-rubber roof, the car would be ideal for movie-watching, sleep or relaxation; with the roof open, it would be the perfect office space away from the office, an island of quietness where passengers could get outstanding work done or conduct business meetings.

Pan’s renderings show the two passengers reclining toward the back of the concept car, so this is clearly an autonomous vehicle. Come to think of it, only full, Level 5 autonomy would properly allow passengers to appreciate this play of light and shadow. Otherwise, it’s just a convertible, only with a much more visually arresting design.

That said, in case you were wondering, this Lexus isn’t just a looker. Yanko Design notes that “the car holds ample space for the users with the motor at the front, hydrogen tank at the tail end, and the bottom is lined with the fuel cells.”

Bringing calmness into a world of chaos

The Japanese principle of light, also known as Notan, isn’t showcased in this Lexus concept only for the purpose of creating an unusual car. The idea is to build a connection between the passengers and the outside world, while also offering a sheltered space when needed.

The Lexus Hikari Concept “tries to develop and maintain the same spiritual connection between all things man-made and natural, playfully interacting to deliver a calm, focused and balanced experience to the user,” the same media outlet notes.

In addition to creating an intimate experience for the passengers, the concept aims to foster “calm, balance and focus in an otherwise chaotic world.” Think of it as of a sheltered, quiet and comfy cocoon that drives you through and away from the maddening crowd, rendered in the most elegant Lexus design language.