Lexus develops a mini space shuttle... for a film

We all know there is a close relationship between the automotive world and cinema. Hundreds of cars appear in the different films we see in cinemas, driven by Hollywood stars and by those of other film-producing countries. These scenes help show us the merits of these cars, and there are not a few examples in the history of cinema. There are also cars that brands create specifically for those films, which will never be on the market and which, despite that, display designs that came from the drawing boards of those brands’ designers.

In the case of Lexus, they wanted to go further, and for the latest production by Luc Besson, the French director who gave us gems such as The Fifth Element, they have worked to create a small space jet that will transport the protagonists of Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets. The Skyjet, which is what this small single-seat pursuit spaceship is called, may seem futuristic, because the action takes place 700 years in the future, but in reality, it is based on the current technology of Lexus, applied to be this spectacular.

In fact, for the front they looked to the design of the Lexus LC coupé, where they found the front grille and the shape of the headlights. The look of the Skyjet has been meticulously designed by the engineers of the Japanese brand, and it is easy to find many similarities with other vehicles from the brand. Moreover, the vehicle has the brand’s logo on the front, because in that future time, it seems that Lexus remains a benchmark in transport.

For the interior, although logically it has a very futuristic look, they have not gone very far, as they have used part of the technology they are using for the concept car Lexus LF-FC, such as control through hand gestures and the holographic technology that this concept model also features.

They have even worked very seriously on the propulsion system of the Skyjet, which is also based on the hydrogen-powered fuel cell stack of the prototype. This is curious, since they have tried to transfer to the film the technology that Lexus uses as a sample of the nearest future of its range. Thus, Lexus has wanted to carry all its current proposals 700 years into the future, and we will have to wait to see the film to check whether they have managed it. For now, here is a video of the process of creating the Skyjet by Lexus.

https://youtu.be/uoGTmpZ78Qs