Category Archives: CONCEPT CARS

At this year’s Japan Mobility Show, Mitsubishi Motors didn’t just unveil another crossover concept — it planted a flag in the electrified wilderness with the Elevance Concept, a plug-in hybrid SUV that aims to blend rugged adventure cred with premium, almost lounge-like comfort. Think off-road explorer meets Scandinavian spa, and you’re starting to get the picture.

Forever Adventure, Electrified

Under the banner of Forever Adventure, Mitsubishi’s booth theme radiated nostalgia for the brand’s golden age of Pajeros and rally-bred Evos. But CEO Takao Kato insists the thrill of exploration doesn’t need to vanish in an era of quiet motors and carbon neutrality. The Elevance Concept, he says, is Mitsubishi’s way of fusing “the pure joy of driving” with the brand’s growing prowess in electrification and all-wheel control.

At first glance, the Elevance looks ready for both the Ginza district and the gravel roads of Hokkaido. Its styling is smooth yet muscular, a futuristic interpretation of Mitsubishi’s familiar Dynamic Shield design language. The front fascia trades aggression for sophistication — honeycomb grille, sculpted LED lighting, and sheetmetal that flows seamlessly from the headlights to the tail. The result is a vehicle that looks less like a concept car and more like a production model one executive misfiled into the “too stylish” bin.

Quad-Motor Grit Meets Glamping Grace

Underneath that sleek skin lies a quad-motor 4WD setup governed by Mitsubishi’s signature Super All-Wheel Control (S-AWC) system — the same DNA that once made the Lancer Evolution a rally legend. Now, instead of chasing stage times, S-AWC keeps the Elevance composed on muddy trails or icy switchbacks, using Active Yaw Control at the rear and in-wheel motors up front for uncanny precision.

Powering it all is a plug-in hybrid system with a carbon-neutral-compatible engine and a large traction battery. For short commutes, it behaves like a quiet EV; stretch its legs on a road trip, and the hybrid system steps in to banish range anxiety. The setup also doubles as a mobile power station, capable of running campsite luxuries — kitchen, shower, or even a small trailer — for what Mitsubishi calls “glamping-grade adventure.”

If this is the future of roughing it, count us in.

The AI That Knows You Better Than Your GPS

Inside, the Elevance trades the typical SUV cockpit for something resembling a tech cocoon. A seamless, shell-like interior wraps passengers in soft leather and ambient light, while a panoramic display stretches from door to door. Even the steering wheel gets an embedded screen — home to the AI Co-Driver, a digital assistant that suggests destinations based on your habits and mood.

Heading into the mountains? It recommends the scenic route. Feeling low on battery (yours or the car’s)? It finds a café charging stop that matches your playlist’s energy.

And when the going gets rough, the AI adjusts drive modes in real time using road-condition sensors and vehicle data. It’s the sort of tech integration that might finally make “smart mobility” feel more intuitive than intrusive.

Design That Thinks Beyond the Pavement

Mitsubishi describes the Elevance’s structure as a “rib-bone frame”, designed for exceptional rigidity — the kind you’d want if your weekend plans involve washboard roads or steep climbs. Yet, from inside, it feels serene. The three-row, six-seat layout provides generous room for families or gear, while details like low side windows open the cabin to the surrounding landscape — a rare touch of theater in a crossover segment obsessed with slanted rooflines.

Even the most skeptical traditionalists might admit: if Mitsubishi brings this to production mostly intact, the Elevance could redefine what we expect from a plug-in SUV.

The Delica Legacy Marches On

Of course, Mitsubishi didn’t stop at the Elevance. The brand’s Delica series — part minivan, part SUV, all cult classic — also made a strong showing. The new Delica D:5 (prototype) borrows S-AWC tech and adds more refinement, while the pint-sized Delica Mini officially launched in Japan. Together, they represent Mitsubishi’s vision of adventure for all — whether your playground is a city street or a mountain trail.

The Elevance Concept might sound like an exercise in electrified optimism, but beneath the marketing gloss is a solid technical statement. Mitsubishi seems to understand that the future of adventure vehicles isn’t just about power or range — it’s about experience.

If this SUV ever reaches production, it could mark Mitsubishi’s boldest return to form since the days of the Montero and the Evo. A luxury crossover that can tow your glamping trailer and whisper to you about hidden mountain roads? That’s the kind of weirdly wonderful idea we can get behind.

Source: Mitsubishi

CONCEPT CARS

Lexus LS Concept: The Six-Wheeled Future of Luxury Mobility

October 29, 2025 Francis Mitterrand

If you thought Lexus was content to let its LS flagship quietly fade into the background of an SUV-saturated world, think again. The Japanese luxury brand just detonated a conceptual bombshell at the Tokyo Motor Show: a six-wheeled, all-electric MPV that redefines what “luxury car” even means. Officially dubbed the Lexus LS Concept, it’s less a limousine and more a mobile private sanctuary—a statement of intent that luxury, in Lexus’s eyes, has evolved beyond leather, wood, and horsepower.

A Private Sanctuary on Six Wheels

Lexus calls the LS Concept “a private sanctuary that invites you to discover your own space.” It’s a poetic way of saying this is the most radical shift in the brand’s 35-year history. The exterior looks like it belongs in a sci-fi movie—sleek, sculptural, and sitting on three axles, with smaller wheels tucked neatly under the rear to maximize interior room. The proportions are pure concept-car theater, but there’s real intent beneath the drama.

The six-wheel layout isn’t just for show. Lexus says the configuration frees up floor space for a cabin that’s more penthouse suite than passenger compartment. And judging by the first images, the LS delivers on that promise. Behind a grand, sliding door—what design boss Ian Cartabiano calls “the starting point of the concept’s conception”—lies a cavernous four-seat lounge lined with opulent materials, ambient lighting, and digital interfaces that ooze futuristic calm.

From Luxury Saloon to Luxury Space

The LS nameplate has long stood for “Luxury Saloon,” a symbol of Lexus’s original challenge to the European establishment. But the brand admits that world no longer exists. “Executive sedans used to rule the world,” says Cartabiano. “Now they’re fighting a losing battle with SUVs.”

So Lexus has redefined the initials: LS now means Luxury Space. It’s a philosophical pivot as much as a practical one, representing a brand that’s unshackled from tradition and intent on reshaping the luxury landscape for a new generation of buyers—especially in China, where demand for high-end MPVs is exploding.

A Bold New Lexus Identity

Simon Humphries, Toyota and Lexus’s global design chief, says the company’s creative freedom has expanded dramatically since Toyota spun off its Century nameplate into a standalone ultra-luxury brand. That move frees Lexus to explore more radical ideas like the six-wheeled LS. “We want to challenge your perception of what a luxury brand can be,” Humphries explains. The new motto—To Discover—underscores that mission.

And discover, it does. The driver’s seat looks more spaceship than chauffeur spec: a yoke steering controller, a sweeping digital dashboard, and tactile mechanical buttons that blend analog charm with next-gen minimalism. Lexus hasn’t released powertrain details, but all signs point to a version of Toyota’s E-TNGA modular EV platform, potentially shared with the upcoming Lexus RZ and other electric flagships.

The Future of Lexus: One Name, Many Faces

The LS Concept didn’t arrive alone. It shared the Tokyo stage with two more experiments in Lexus futurism: a LS Coupé SUV that channels the Porsche Cayenne’s athletic stance, and a Micro LS city pod that distills the brand’s luxury ethos into a single seat. Together, they preview a family of vehicles built not around segments—but around experiences.

Humphries sums it up best: “Lexus has always been about more than just four wheels.” That’s not marketing fluff anymore—it’s literal. The LS Concept’s six-wheeled silhouette marks the moment Lexus officially stepped beyond the bounds of traditional automotive thinking.

Our Take

Is the six-wheeled LS Concept destined for production? Probably not in this exact form. But that’s hardly the point. This is Lexus flexing its design and philosophical muscles—an exploration of how luxury mobility could look when function, technology, and serenity merge.

In a world where ultra-luxury SUVs and electric hyper-saloons are beginning to blur together, Lexus just redrew the map. And with six wheels on the ground, it’s rolling confidently toward a future where luxury is measured not in speed or badges—but in space, freedom, and imagination.

Source: Lexus

CONCEPT CARS

Lexus LS Coupé Concept: The Return of Luxury with a Twist

October 29, 2025 Francis Mitterrand

At the Tokyo motor show, Lexus pulled the wraps off a concept that feels at once familiar and daringly different — the new LS Coupé Concept, a sleek, high-riding four-door GT that reimagines what luxury means in a market where sedans are going the way of the fax machine.

Once the cornerstone of Lexus’s identity, the LS luxury saloon quietly bowed out earlier this year after a 35-year run that began in 1989 with the car that launched the brand itself. But Lexus clearly isn’t ready to let the LS nameplate retire to a museum display. Instead, it’s reviving it in unexpected ways — not just with this coupé, but also with a single-seat Micro LS and even a six-wheeled LS MPV concept. Call it an LS family reunion, if the family had collectively lost its mind in the best possible way.

Among the trio, the LS Coupé Concept looks the most ready to make the leap from design studio to showroom. Think of it as Lexus’s answer to the BMW XM, Mercedes-Benz GLE Coupé, or Porsche Cayenne Coupé — a rakish SUV with grand-touring flair and the proportions to match.

A Luxury SUV That Wants to Be a Driver’s Car

Lexus hasn’t given us any specs — no motor output, no range estimates, no zero-to-sixty times — but it has given us a mission statement. Ian Cartabiano, the head of Toyota’s California design studio, says the LS Coupé “lets you do it all, and do it all in style.” Translation: expect something that blends the comfort of an LS sedan with the engagement of a proper driver’s car.

The concept’s stance is pure power move: wide hips, a long hood, and a fastback profile that suggests performance more than practicality. Yet inside, Lexus is clearly chasing next-gen luxury.

Tech, Toys, and a Flying Camera

The cabin is dominated by three massive digital displays — two for the driver and one (which folds away) for the passenger. Lexus’s next-gen infotainment system lives here, along with a yoke-style steering wheel that hints the brand isn’t done refining its steer-by-wire tech from the RZ. The driver’s seat looks more Nürburgring than Nagoya, while in the back, passengers enjoy what Lexus claims is saloon-level space and comfort.

Rear occupants also get automatically deploying armrests, portrait-format screens built into the front seatbacks, and perhaps the most absurdly wonderful feature in any concept this year: a high-speed drone that deploys from the rear deck to follow the car and film your journey. Because if a luxury car does something amazing and no one captures it in 4K, did it really happen?

And instead of a conventional trunk lid, there’s a pull-out drawer for luggage — an idea so elegant and strange it almost feels like a concept from 2035, not 2025.

Under the Skin

If Lexus ever decides to greenlight this thing, the production version would likely ride on Toyota’s E-TNGA modular electric platform, the same bones that underpin the RZ. That would make it a close cousin to Lexus’s existing EV lineup — and potentially the brand’s electric counterpoint to the RX, the long-running, best-selling SUV that still defines Lexus’s modern success.

What It Means for Lexus

Whether or not the LS Coupé reaches production, it’s a signal that Lexus is ready to loosen its tie and experiment. The original LS rewrote the rules for luxury in 1989. This concept suggests Lexus might try to do it again — this time with a shape that fits the moment, a drivetrain that fits the future, and enough flair to make Stuttgart and Munich look over their shoulders.

Because when Lexus gets bold, interesting things tend to happen. And the LS Coupé Concept looks very interesting indeed.