Intersect By Lexus previews the brand’s design future

02-May-2017
Blog

 Intersect By Lexus, the award-winning dynamic eatery and cultural hub located at the heart of DIFC, is hosting Lexus’ first ever Fuel Cell flagship concept, the Lexus LF-FC at its Garage, from April 21st until the end of August. Initially revealed at the Tokyo Motor Show 2015, the LF-FC flagship concept, is a visionary vehicle that offers a peek into the design and technology direction of the brand’s future flagship sedans, evoking inspiring emotions with its distinctive design that exceeds conventional imagination, automated driving technology and high-tech vision.

“Intersect By Lexus is the ideal host platform for such an attractive and unique concept vehicle, embodying the future emotional design direction of Lexus, but perhaps the future of the automotive mobility as we know it,” said Christopher Buxton, Managing Director of Lexus at Al-Futtaim Motors. “The LF-FC concept is a translation of Lexus’ emotional design philosophy and amazing experiences. We are very proud to bring this concept vehicle to Intersect By Lexus, a space that projects creativity and design, giving our guests the opportunity to interact with the car in a relaxed and welcoming environment.” 

Intersect By Lexus, the two-story space launched in 2015, features an eatery that offers a unique menu of artisanal crafted food on the first floor, a curated Library and a 500 sq.ft. garage on the lower floor, uniquely designed with over 150 hand-painted Lexus car parts covered with reinforced glass that holds the current concept car.

The LF-FC features a fresh new styling theme that embodies Lexus’ “L-finesse” design philosophy. From every angle, the sedan is aggressively elegant, exuding the spirit of a grand touring vehicle. An evolved version of Lexus’ signature grille with a new mesh design dominates the front, while floating “L-shaped” daytime running lights extrude from the front fenders. The rear is highlighted by striking new taillights that adopt the same floating theme as the DRL. When seen from its profile, the roofline flows from front to rear in the manner of a “4-door coupe”, suggesting that this vehicle isn’t just meant for straight highways, but to also be enjoyed on twisty roads. Sporty 21″ aluminium wheels with carbon-fibre reinforced plastic rims, add an extra dose of flair to what is already a dynamically styled machine.

At the heart of the LF-FC is a high output fuel cell power system that energizes the rear wheels, and also sends power to two in-wheel motors in the front, making the LF-FC all-wheel-drive. This innovative drive system allows precise torque distribution control between the front and rear wheels, giving the full-size sedan exceptional dynamic handling and superior road stability. The strategic placement of the fuel-cell stack at the rear of the vehicle, power control unit at the front and T-formation configured hydrogen fuel tanks result in front and rear weight distribution optimal for a sporty sedan.

Using automated driving technologies, with elevated traffic environment recognition, prediction, and judgment function, the LF-FC provides a safe and efficient driving experience for its occupants and supports the vision of a world without traffic accidents.