Lexus is not fooling around when it comes to electrification and is using Tokyo as a sampling experiment for the stunning LF-30 Electrified prototype. Did we mention stunning? The LF-30 looks otherworldly, has gullwing doors, and uses four in-wheel electric motors, a steer-by-wire-system, and a slew of autonomous driving technologies plus Lexus Advanced Posture Control. Stick around to find out everything you need to know about the Lexus LF-30 Electrified concept shown at the 2019 Tokyo Motor Show.

Lexus LF-30 Electrified Concept Exterior

Sheesh, where do we begin? At the same time, we’re told that the LF-30’s shape is meant to visually express the energy created by the wheels set at the corners of the vehicle body streaming toward the vehicle cabin and past the driver to directly flow onto the road surface.

In the front, since there’s no need for a conventional hood to cover the traditional engine compartment, Lexus was able to let the creative juices flow, allowing for a drastic evolution - or should we say revolution - of the spindle grille, which now adopts a 3D shape, flanked by gaping air intakes and wing-shaped headlights.

Each corner gets its own muscular fender housing the giant (21-inch, maybe) wheels, while in the rear we’re greeted by sharp taillights. In other words, the LC-30’s body is a fluid symphony of angles and edges - and that’s coming from us, not Lexus’ press blurb, mind you.

Passengers can also adjust the opacity of the side windows based on just how much privacy they need, while the concept’s front lighting arrangement lets other know whether it’s operating in normal mode or in autonomous driving mode. In case you were wondering, the blue-green-y exterior color is called Voltaic Sky and was obtained through a process that involves metal-coating. And, yeah, those are gullwing doors, powered by a pair of pistons each - which we’re guessing are electrically powered, not hydraulic.

In terms of size, the Lexus LF-30 is 5,090 millimeters long, 1,995 millimeters wide, and 1,600 millimeters tall, with a wheelbase of 3,200 millimeters.

2019 Lexus LF-30 exterior dimensions

Lexus LF-30 Electrified Concept Interior

Now, if you thought the exterior of the Lexus LC-30 was spectacular, wait until we tell you more about the cabin. Here, Lexus’ Tazuma concept reigns supreme. In case the name doesn’t ring any bells, well, it’s because this is a new philosophy brought forward by the Japanese carmaker. As a side comparison, you can think of it as the equivalent of Mazda’s Jinba Ittai horse-and-rider unity.

That said, let’s get to the point. Inside the LC-30, applying this idea touched on several aspects. On of them is the steering wheel - that is, if we can still call it a “wheel.” Another one is the acute separation between the driver’s side and the passenger’s. Each one has its designated space, but on the driver’s side, everything is tilted towards whoever is behind the wheel. The front passenger gets its own display that supports gesture control, pretty much like inside the Porsche Taycan, while the driver’s zone looks like it’s been taken from some sort of starship. Lexus says it was inspired by first-class airliners, but to us it looks way more futuristic than that.

Speaking of the driver, Lexus says that the switches on the steering whe… controller and the head-up display have been “coordinated to a high degree” in such a way that they allow the user to control the navigation and multimedia systems without operating manual switches at all. In addition, the car-human interaction medium is complemented by gesture control and augmented reality-delivered vehicle information and status

Viewed from the side, the two front seats of the LF-30 concept look like a stylized human beings that sit down, with the back slightly tilted backwards. They, too, are inspired by those found on first-class aircrafts. What’s more, the rear seats, says Lexus, are fitted with “artificial muscle technology” which allows them to mold accordingly to their occupant - now that’s something we want to see in a production vehicle in the near future. The rear seats also have reclining, relaxation, and alert functions. Listening to your favorite tune while letting the car do the driving is covered by a Mark Levinson audio setup that also offers noise-cancelling abilities.

Now, let’s discuss materials. For the LF-30 Electrified, Lexus went for materials that are both luxurious and sustainable. On of them is Yakisugi or charred cedar, which was used to decorate the concept’s floor and steering controller. What’s more, the inner door trim is made out of recycled metal that’s been processed into fibers.

Drivetrain

This brings us to what powers the Lexus LF-30 Electrified concept as well as the carmaker’s Advanced Posture Control feature. The battery pack is positioned as low as possible in the vehicle’s floor while each wheel is powered by its own electric motor for better handling of inertia and higher-performance driving.

On the performance front, the LF-30 can sprint from 0 to 100 kilometers per hour (62 miles per hour) in 3.8 seconds and reach a top speed of 200 kilometers per hour (130 miles per hour). Between them, the four electric motors produce 400 kilowatts (536 horsepower) and 700 Newton-meters (516 pound-feet) of torque.

This is where the Lexus Advanced Posture Control system comes into play. The technology acts as a buffer for the output generated by the e-motors and, in other words, makes the switch to front-wheel drive, rear-wheel drive, or all-wheel drive depending on a given situation.

The good news here is that Lexus will “widely” implement this piece of tech for its upcoming electrified vehicles. What’s more, the LF-30 concept proposes a steer-by-wire setup that steers away (pun intended) from the typical mechanical setup for a more precise response to the driver’s inputs but also to allow the steering controller to slide forward and out of the way when the driver switches to autonomous mode.

The drone can autonomously carry luggage from your doorstep to the car and dispatch it in the cargo area - call us lazy, but that’s a super-cool feature.

Lexus LF-30 specifications

Final Thoughts

Lexus will launch its first BEV in November. In all fairness, it won’t be fitted with the level of high-tech features seen on the LF-30 Electrified concept, but it will surely pave the way for more sci-fi-looking vehicles. Once the model hits the market, Lexus plans to focus on its very own electrified vehicle lineup - a new, dedicated BEV platform is also in the making, as by 2025, the company wants every model it sells to have a pure-electric version.

From here on, the sky’s pretty much the limit for the Japanese carmaker because after seeing the LF-30 prototype, it’s pretty clear how Lexus managed to cover all the bases in regard to its upcoming models. The tech infusion is there, the same can be said about luxury, and we can’t imagine how Lexus would have problems in coming up with all-electric powertrains since it benefits from every drop of know-how Toyota has accumulated over the past decade. Call us too excited, but we can’t wait to see what Lexus has to offer to the EV world of tomorrow.