Lexus has unveiled its striking LF-FC fuel cell concept at the Tokyo Motor Show in a bid to showcase the firm’s latest advances in hydrogen technology and the shape its future halo model could possibly take.
Power is provided by a high-output fuel cell drivetrain that powers a trio of electric motors located on the rear axle and the hub of each front wheel. Although Lexus hasn’t disclosed any details regarding actual power outputs, it has revealed that the system features torque vectoring both fore/aft and between driven wheels.
The fuel stack’s rear-mounted positioning and the T-formation of its hydrogen storage tanks ensure good weight distribution, providing the recipe for a dynamically well-balanced car.
The Lexus LF-FC’s notchback saloon-style frame measures 5,3 metres long, 2,0 metres wide and 1,41 metres high; it’s dimensions and silhouette roughly akin to that of the Porsche Panamera.
The firm’s ‘L-finesse’ styling language is strongly embodied here in such features as a huge spindle grille with scale-like zigzag meshing, L-shaped LED daytime running lights and striking arrow-shaped brakelamps stretched over bodywork that’s a bizarre yet pleasing interplay of angles and curves. The whole thing rolls on a set of 21-inch aluminium alloys with carbon fibre-reinforced rims.
Inside, the highlights include ‘floating’ front seats and an infotainment system that incorporates a holographic display and gesture-driven interface for numerous driver assistance modules.
“For us, it is more than just a car, and we should exceed conventional imagination, said Lexus International president Tokuo Fukuichi. “The LF-FC expresses our progressive luxury and high-tech vision of a not-so-distant future.”
