GENEVA 2015: Say Hello to the Lexus LF-SA Concept

By Derek Shiekhi - March 3, 2015

Have you ever worked at a company when it was celebrating an important anniversary? There’s usually a bunch of balloons, a catered lunch, dessert, and a speech from management. You get a break from being at your desk for an hour – and cake. It’s great, right?

Well, Lexus seems to do things a little differently. 2014 marked the 25th anniversary of the original Lexus, the LS 400. Instead of sinking their forks into frosting and gluten-y heaven, the employees at Lexus’ Europe-based design studio, ED2, got right back to work and started to sketch the LF-SA concept, which Lexus calls “an ultra-compact, sub-B-segment, urban 2+2.” Today, it debuted at the Geneva Motor Show.

At 135.8 inches long, 66.9 inches wide, and 56.3 inches high, it may be small, but it’s big on design, however polarizing its dramatic lines may be. As expected, the Lexus spindle grille is up front, except it now has an angular pattern spreading out from the familiar “L” badge in the middle. That makes the gaping maw into a three-dimensional focal point. The hourglass opening, combined with arrowhead-shaped daytime running lights, shows that the LF-SA is not too far in the future of Lexus styling to be reached any time soon by its production cars. The pronounced contrast between concave and convex surfaces, and the undercutting above the LF-SA’s wheel arches give the little city car, as Lexus states, “a strong sense of dynamism and forward motion.” “Time in Design” styling means perceptions of the LF-SA change based upon the angle from which it’s viewed. Granted, that happens when you look at any car, but a lot of them aren’t as sculpted and visually multifaceted as this concept.

Inside, the driver’s seat is fixed; the steering wheel and pedals are adjustable to reach the person in command of the vehicle. “The sliding front passenger seat, on the other hand, gives access to rear accommodation.” Once the driver is nice and comfortable, he or she can use the LF-SA’s hologram-style display and wide-angle Head-Up-Display.

Lexus doesn’t mention any plans to release the LF-SA as a production car in its press release, although if it does, I can see the vehicle making for a much more attention-getting version of the Scion iQ. The company views this concept as an exercise in exploring “unexpected territories” – and for good reason. From its space exploration-themed Stellar silver paint that covers bold, striking angles and contours to its solar eclipse-inspired cabin, it looks as if the Lexus LF-SA has pushed Lexus’ current design language to new places. It will be interesting to see which of those places Lexus designers will go to with the lines of their future production cars.