Zero Gravity is a Lexus like no other, a motorbike-style machine that will rocket above the surface of the moon at 500 km/h. The vehicle was designed by the team of the European design studio ED2 of Lexus, based in France, near Nice. “The design team looked beyond short-term production to see how advanced technology will change the way we interact with vehicles,” said Ian Cartabiano, president of ED2. The lunar project came at the right time, halfway through the development of the LF-30 (design story on Auto&Design no.240). It gave the team a chance to dream further and apply some of the design language we find in the interior of the LF-30, which led to the lunar vehicle proposals”.
The original idea of Zero Gravity was born from Karl Dujardin and was the best among a series of concepts proposed by important international designers and architects not coming from the automotive world. Their work was full of imagination and focused as much on the fun of driving in a low-gravity lunar environment as on the practicality of moving around in a harsh and wild environment. Zero Gravity is a single-engine vehicle that drives like a motorcycle, but uses magnetic levitation to hover off the ground – a technology already used by Lexus in the real world for its unique hoverboard design.
Other projects presented include Jean-Baptiste Henry’s Lexus Cosmos, a prototype designed to travel both in space and on the lunar surface. The vehicle has an entirely glass structure that functions both as an observatory and as a means to explore the phenomenon of low gravity. With a rear cabin that emphasizes the driving sensation and a front dedicated to contemplation, the concept is designed to create a new and exclusive luxury experience for the future.
The third project is the Lexus Lunar Cruiser, by Keisuke Matsuno, a multi-purpose lunar cruiser to be used both on land and in the sky. Its large tyres ensure a comfortable ride even on rough terrain. The wheels can also turn 90 degrees so that the vehicle can fly like a drone, giving the driver the freedom to explore both the lunar surface and the sky. The cockpit has a “3D spindle motion” shaped bodywork design that offers an open view, a comfortable interior and an iconic appearance.
