THK’s LSR-05 Concept Is a Four-Door Coupe EV With Suicide Doors and a Luxurious Interior

Its design was penned by one Shiro Nakamura, the same man behind the likes of the Nissan GT-R R35 and the Infiniti FX SUV.

From afar, we’d be inclined to call the LSR-05 more of a crossover coupe rather than a four-door fastback, but both terminologies could be used to describe its overall aesthetic. The idea behind this “prototype” was to fuse luxury, sportiness, and technology, while also paying tribute to the company’s roots in the early 1970s – they designed the world’s first linear motion guide (Model LSR).

Meanwhile, the ‘05’ relates to a pair of milestones, among them THK’s 50th anniversary.

“LSR-05 is a powerful showcase for THK’s technological capabilities and a powerful statement of how the company views the future of mobility. The design is purposefully clean and elegant while communicating the substantial potential of THK's advanced technologies,” stated Nakamura.

The design is certainly futuristic enough, although that term has kind of lost its momentum in recent years, where carmakers have been tripping over themselves to create cars that would look at home in just about any sci-fi movie. Just imagine seeing something like the Mercedes EQS or the Lucid Air as recently as 2015. You’d have probably thought that aliens had landed.

Now, it’s important to note that the LSR-05 platform isn’t “all show”. It also comes with a sophisticated four-wheel steering system, featuring two THK 93 kW variable-flux in-wheel electric motors at the rear, and a 220-kW electric motor up front.

Inside, you’ll find a so-called stealth seat slide system mounted on a flat floor, to go with an impressive-looking dashboard comprised of a gigantic ultra-wide display, plus two smaller ones acting as side mirrors. We also spot touch capacitive buttons, a semi-rectangular steering wheel, and a large armrest where you can interact with the vehicle’s transmission. Not sure why you’d need to dedicate such a large area to those ‘PRND’ buttons, but to each their own.

Other highlights pertaining to this concept vehicle include the active level control suspension (ALCS), MR fluid active damper tube (MRDT), contactless power supply (CLPS) and its electric service brake (ESB).

The latter works by controlling four brakes independently through biwiring, which should result in a significant vehicle weight reduction and packaging size thanks to the rigid THK ball screw inside the brake actuator.

The CLPS system is particularly interesting, seeing as how it allows for dynamic wireless power transfer. All you need is a power transmitter embedded in the ground, working with the power receiver installed in the vehicle. And since you can lower the ride height of the vehicle, that increases charging efficiency – something that doesn’t get talked about enough whenever we hear plans for wireless charging.