Lexus is being reinvented. The Japanese company has brought some stunning new concept cars to the Japan Mobility Show (the Tokyo motor show, effectively) but more importantly, it now has a new mission within the Toyota group.
What's that?
Well, with Toyota's Century model being expanded to a new super-luxury standalone marque, Lexus will not only be taking on the likes of BMW and Mercedes, but it will also be Toyota's innovation brand, pushing the envelope with new ideas.
That looks like a pretty big envelope...
That isn't an envelope, that's a striking large MPV concept which arrives at the show with an LS badge - just as the traditional LS saloon leaves production after 36 years.
With its dramatic six-wheeled layout, this LS concept is meant to signal that the Lexus brand is not afraid to strike out with innovative ideas, and to challenge the SUV-status-quo of the luxury market.
Toyota has already had massive success with the luxury versions of its Alphard MPV, and the Lexus-badged versions of that car, the LM, so why shouldn't the Lexus brand's luxury flagship be a big, roomy, people carrier?
Is it serious?
Possibly. Lexus and Toyota's chief branding officer, Simon Humphries, said in Tokyo: "People are aspiring to completely different experiences. Our customers want to define things on their own terms. They want the space and freedom to curate their time with maximum efficiency. And they aren't afraid to challenge the status quo in pursuit of that ideal. Lexus has always been about more than just four wheels. We have never shied away from a challenge to discover new products new services new experiences. And now to redefine our flagship. An LS that no longer stands for Luxury Sedan nor Luxury SUV but rather for Luxury Space.”
The idea is that this super-roomy MPV would be a rival to big luxury SUVs, even up to the level of the Bentley Bentayga and Rolls-Royce Cullinan (even if that seems to be more like the new Century brand's territory).
The dramatic six-wheeled layout is so that the wheelarches cause less intrusion into the cabin space.
What's it like inside?
In the back of this LS concept, there's a four-seat cabin, with facing individual seats, and discreet Venetian blinds made of wood, so that you can block out the world if you want to.
Up front, there's a set of huge wraparound screens and a yoke-style steering wheel which suggests that the LS is designed around a steer-by-wire system.
There are no technical details available, as it's just a pure show car for now, but it's likely that any production version would be electric.
Production version?
OK, so this LS might be a bit of a punt for Lexus, but there was another LS-badged concept on the Tokyo stand that's likely to be rather more realistic.
That's the low-slung coupe-like SUV concept, called the LS Coupe which looks like a sleeker, slightly futuristic replacement for the current RX.
Or perhaps, it previews a low-roofed BMW X6-style model that will sit above the more practical RX in the lineup, to give the LS badge a new lease of life.
Lexus is not saying, but inside there's a cool cockpit layout with twin 'nested' screens for the driver, and again there's the steer-by-wire yoke steering wheel, and a dramatic boot at the back that opens like an expensive drawer, and which is wood-panelled inside.
There's no rear windscreen, so you get a camera and a virtual mirror instead.
Was there anything else?
Yes... There was also another LS-badged concept, this one called the LS Micro. Looking like a cross between a suitcase and a scooter, it's an autonomous single-seat urban transport solution, with a roof and front door that Lexus describes as opening 'like a jewellery box.'