LEXUS IN CRUISE MODE FOR NEXT SPIELBERG FILM
An exotic Lexus fantasy car of the future will share the screen with Tom Cruise in an upcoming Steven Spielberg film set in the 2050s.Spielberg has cast the futuristic luxury vehicle as the car of the future in his highly anticipated film, "Minority Report", due to be released later this year.
Minority Report's action takes place in a judicial system of the mid-twenty first century where killers are arrested and convicted before they commit murder.
When it came time to conceptualise the fantasy car of the future, Spielberg didn't have to look any further than his own driveway for inspiration.
"I've been driving a Lexus and I thought Lexus might be interested in holding hands with us and going into a speculative future to see what the transportation systems and cars would look like on our highways in fifty years," he said.
"The result of that exploration is something that elevates and transforms driving into an environmental experience."
Designed as a high-performance two-seat personal sports car for the year 2054, the futuristic Lexus is a muscular design with aggressive lines, low slung for sportiness and with the ultimate in cab-forward seating.
The custom car was created by conceptual artist Harald Belker, whose film design credits also include "Batman & Robin", "Inspector Gadget", and "Armageddon."
Spielberg, Belker, Calty (the California based Toyota/Lexus design studio) and a team of futurists met early in the development process to speculate on what the future of automotive travel might hold, with Lexus ultimately providing styling, luxury and performance cues for the car's design.
The car was constructed by CTEK, a California-based technology design and development firm.
"We're thrilled to be a part of this," said Denny Clements, Lexus America group vice president and general manager.
"We had the opportunity to dream about what cars and transportation might be like in the future, and then see that dream played out in the vision of one of the greatest filmmakers of all time - it doesn't get much better than that."