Lexus LS+ Concept, the future of autonomous driving technology

The Tokyo Motor Show has served as a showcase for the future novelties of Lexus. The Japanese brand has presented there the Lexus LS+ concept, a vehicle equipped with autonomous driving technologies that reflects what the cars of the future will be like.

The main objective of Lexus in the future is to adapt the latest autonomous driving technology in order to reduce and even eliminate victims in road accidents.

The Lexus LS+ Concept presents the Lexus system ‘Highway Teammate‘, which allows the vehicle to drive by itself on specific motorways. It also showcases the brand’s technology called “Urban Teammate“, a Level 4 autonomous driving system that uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) and is capable, for example, of detecting traffic, adjusting speed, changing lanes and overtaking.

Externally, the LS+ concept features an elegant and aggressive shape. At the front, its redesigned grille stands out, with a special mesh that acts as a shutter to cool the engine and improve its aerodynamics. The laser headlights, the camera-based mirrors and the rear lights spanning the full width of the car complete the redesigned equipment.

Lexus’s chief engineer, Toshio Asahi, confirmed that the new Highway technology is scheduled to debut in production in 2020, and the company’s goal is to present the Urban Teammate technology by 2025.

In addition, the artificial intelligence software used by Lexus monitors the car’s movements and processes the data to create an optimised and constantly updated system. This communication makes it possible to obtain data from other vehicles and thus identify possible problems on the roads.