It seems like July is going to be a big month for cars in film. We’ve already covered Audi’s world premiere of the new A8 in Marvel’s upcoming film Spider Man: Homecoming. While Audi’s cars in film have always been a direct expression of their current endeavours and near future projects, Lexus has always cast its nets far into the future. In Stephen Spielberg’s film Minority Report Lexus showcased a fuel cell concept car dubbed Lexus 2054, after the year in which the film is set.
This July Lexus and Luc Besson(Transporter, Fifth Element, Lucy)will take us 700 years into the future. The French Director has collaborated with Lexus in bringing the Skyjet concept car to life in his upcoming film: Valerian And The City of A Thousand Planets. The concept car features use of a fuel cell as the sole power source. The shape has been crafted to be realistically aerodynamic even though it will most likely never see the light of day. Signature Lexus design cues are also present such as the obligatory Spindle Grille. The vehicle is a single seater.
When looking for options for a power source the fuel cell was considered because of its ability to store a lot of energy in a very small space, such as a capsule. This was also considered because the engineers working on the project hypothesise it would eliminate the need for infrastructure. Especially if one would have to fly light years before getting to the next fill up station. Of course, this is all highly imaginative but as Lexus’ Chief engineer Takeaki Kato admits: “Technology will constantly advance and many things far in the distant future are impossible to be certain of now, however, at Lexus, we continuously challenge ourselves to imagine them.”
The film will premiere worldwide on July 21st.
