LEXUS CREATES ADVANCED HOVERBOARD

Design and technology collaboration achieves creative breakthrough for new Lexus Amazing in Motion project

A Lexus has always been a vehicle that rides on wheels, in contact with the ground. Until now. This summer a new Lexus takes flight, bringing the stuff of science fiction closer to real world fact.

Lexus has worked with experts in super-conductive technology to create one of the most advanced Hoverboards the world has seen. The concept is the fourth project in its Amazing in Motion campaign, demonstrating its commitment to pursuing new possibilities in advanced design and technology.

Mark Templin, Executive Vice President, Lexus International, said: "At Lexus we constantly challenge ourselves and our partners to push the boundaries of what is possible. That determination, combined with our passion and expertise for design and innovation, is what led us to take on the Hoverboard project. It's the perfect example of the amazing things that can be achieved when you combine technology, design and imagination."

The Lexus project team has used magnetic levitation with liquid nitrogen-cooled superconductors and permanent magnets to give the Hoverboard frictionless movement of a kind that had been thought impossible.

Although a completely different form of transport, the Hoverboard shares design cues with today's Lexus cars, including the signature spindle grille. It has also been made using some of the same materials, both high-tech and natural, such as bamboo.

The Hoverboard is part of the fourth project in the Lexus Amazing in Motion campaign, an international showcase for the brand's creativity and innovation. The prototype is being tested in Barcelona in the coming weeks prior to the campaign's launch this summer.

Notes to editors: the Lexus Hoverboard is a prototype and will not be for sale. The project can be followed on Twitter using the official hashtags #LexusHover and #AmazinginMotion.

For further information, please visit the Toyota and Lexus media site here or contact one of the following:

Nik Pearson on 01737 367264 or by e-mail at nik.pearson@tgb.toyota.co.uk
Richard Seymour on 01737 367272 or by e-mail at richard.seymour@tgb.toyota.co.uk
Erica Haddon on 01737 367308 or by e-mail at erica.haddon@tgb.toyota.co.uk
Scott Brownlee on 01737 367266 or by e-mail at scott.brownlee@tgb.toyota.co.uk