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Lexus has launched two startling concept vehicles which preview a new direction for the world's youngest luxury car company.
Lexus chose the Tokyo Motor Show to reveal the cars in a display which was hailed as a significant display of strength.
At one of the most expensive motor shows in the world it chose to highlight just the two concept vehicles on a stand which was large enough to hold its entire range.
Lexus is due to introduce its brand to the Japanese domestic market in 2005 and its inaugural presence at the Tokyo Show was a major statement of its local intentions.
The show stand was a work of art with revolving turntables and lighting the equal of that in the design domes of styling studios.
More than 1.7 million people were expected to view the stand over the ten days of the Show.
The Lexus LF - for Lexus Lifestyle - vehicles point to the future of the sports utility market and also to developments in the sports sedan segment.
Both LF-X, the cross-over vehicle and LF- S, the sedan, will use Lexus' V8 quadcam multi-valve powertrain. Both vehicles are wider and lower than equivalent production models.
The LF-S has been introduced as a next generation sedan.
The Tokyo Show introduced the concept of L-finesse, a Lexus design discipline in which the stylist "aims for perfection in human terms, rather than in mechanical terms".
Usability of advanced technology is a key goal in the new designs.
Future emphasis will be placed on making vehicles user-centric, Lexus said.
The LF-X does not have a conventional steering wheel.
Steer-by-wire technology allows the aircraft-like steering yoke to be turned just 45degrees in each direction to achieve control.
There is no conventional gearshift.
On-board LED displays take satellite route guidance and vehicle rear vision and parking accuracy to new levels.
LF-S has a transparent roof which incorporates security illumination.
The Lexus brand was first introduced to the world in 1989 and it was responsible for a major restructuring of the luxury car industry.
Lexus' Tokyo Show display indicates the company is planning an equally startling domestic launch in 2005.
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