At the 2016 Paris Motor Show, luxury car brand Lexus has unveiled it’s coupe-like compact SUV of the future, the UX concept. Designed Lexus’ design center in the South of France, the UX Concept represents a new step in the company’s design journey and a redefinition of the driving experience.
A powerful reinterpretation of the Lexus design signatures, the UX Concept reflects the brand’s determination that each of its models should have a unique, standalone character with a strong concept behind it; represented here by the powerful, “inside-out” design concept and deconstructed interior styling. This bold design embodies imaginative, forward-thinking technologies to provide occupants with a fully immersive experience. This sensation is generated through cockpit ergonomics which flow from the driver’s body, and innovative instruments that float in a 3d crystal ball.
The vehicle also features a first design execution of a breakthrough seat technology, the Kinetic Seat Concept, designed by Lexus in response to a re-evaluation of the principles of car seat occupancy.
The UX Concept is a new variety of four-seater crossover which contrasts the appearance and 4×4 presence of an off-roader with a low ground clearance and a coupe-like driving position, reinforcing the dynamic performance promise embedded in the compact packaging of the design.
At the heart of the design lies a futuristic, “inside-out” concept which creates a strong synergy between exterior and interior styling. In top view, this is most strongly represented by an X-shaped movement in the architecture from the cabin outwards and vice-versa.
In the front, the car’s fenders flow seamlessly into the cabin to form housings for e-mirror screens showing the image from door-mounted, rear-facing cameras. The dashboard top sits lower than these screens to combine a deconstructed look with excellent forward visibility. To the rear, the bodywork again flows into the cabin, forming the main structure of the rear-seat headrests.
Even the body color has been designed to emphasize the shape of the car. In the absence of character lines, the multi-layered depth of the newly-developed “Immersive Amethyst” paintwork serves to highlight volume changes, giving definition to the sculpture and expressing the car as a volume rather than simply a line-oriented design.
Signaled by the sharp, aggressive front and softer, more welcoming rear fender exterior treatments, the cabin of the UX offers two different perceptions of luxury.
The front represents agile sophistication and driver engagement, the rear—styled as a welcoming, soft lounge sofa which wraps around into the hinged back doors—the comfort and spaciousness of a robust SUV. Linked both by a central axis console element which floats the full length of the cabin and the visual transparency of a unique front-seat design, interior space differences are further reinforced by color scheme. The front cabin is dark, to communicate a premium, driver-focused environment, while the back of the car is light and far brighter to create an attractive, welcoming space.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mr-azv3DP0A 
all images courtesy of Lexus