Lexus has made a one-off, convertible, fully electric LX and the story behind it is bound to warm the blackest of black hearts. It’s for a little girl with Cerebral Palsy.
The Lexus LX in question is a kiddie car, but a lot of thought and effort have gone into making it both very nice to look at and fully functional. The recipient is Finley Smallwood, who is only six and has been diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy.
The design is actually the result of a partnership with the Cerebral Palsy Foundation (CPF), as March is the unofficial Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month. Finley was presented with the car on March 5 and, hopefully, she’s been enjoying the freedom it offers since.
The Lexus LX is fully electric and convertible, and includes modifications meant to make it easy for Finley to operate it on her own and enjoy the freedom of driving like other kids her age who haven’t experienced the same health issues as her. She has trouble with sitting upright for longer periods, so the seat on her new sweet ride pops up and includes lateral padding for extra support around the waist, an adjustable headrest and five-point harness.
Similarly, because Finley can’t operate a wheel or the pedals for longer stretches, Lexus replaced them with an armrest joystick that allows her to control the speed and the direction of the car, all in one place. Increased door size and reduced ground clearance top off the list of customizations meant to make the kiddie car more easy to use by Finley.
“At Lexus, our core design philosophy has always been human-centric,” Cooper Ericksen, Lexus group vice president, product planning & strategy, says in a statement. “We create vehicles around the art and science of human needs. In this case, we wanted to push the envelope and explore what that might mean for a child with cerebral palsy who hasn’t been able to experience the joy of mobility like other children have.”
“Oh, and we painted the body of the car purple,” Ericksen adds. “Because that’s Finley’s favorite color.”
The design is actually the result of a partnership with the Cerebral Palsy Foundation (CPF), as March is the unofficial Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month. Finley was presented with the car on March 5 and, hopefully, she’s been enjoying the freedom it offers since.
The Lexus LX is fully electric and convertible, and includes modifications meant to make it easy for Finley to operate it on her own and enjoy the freedom of driving like other kids her age who haven’t experienced the same health issues as her. She has trouble with sitting upright for longer periods, so the seat on her new sweet ride pops up and includes lateral padding for extra support around the waist, an adjustable headrest and five-point harness.
Similarly, because Finley can’t operate a wheel or the pedals for longer stretches, Lexus replaced them with an armrest joystick that allows her to control the speed and the direction of the car, all in one place. Increased door size and reduced ground clearance top off the list of customizations meant to make the kiddie car more easy to use by Finley.
“At Lexus, our core design philosophy has always been human-centric,” Cooper Ericksen, Lexus group vice president, product planning & strategy, says in a statement. “We create vehicles around the art and science of human needs. In this case, we wanted to push the envelope and explore what that might mean for a child with cerebral palsy who hasn’t been able to experience the joy of mobility like other children have.”
“Oh, and we painted the body of the car purple,” Ericksen adds. “Because that’s Finley’s favorite color.”