Futuristic Lexus in 'Minority Report'

1 July 2002: A pair of Lexus vehicles that will 'exist in the future', which also 'exist today' but which will probably 'never really exist' can be seen in Ireland from the end of this week.

They're the special transportation systems of the future which were designed with the help of the Toyota-owned luxury carmaker for the latest Steven Spielberg film 'Minority Report', starring Tom Cruise, which opens on nationwide Irish release this weekend. Spielberg himself drives a Lexus SUV.
   
Two featured Lexus vehicles were developed for the film - a red sports car and a private 'pod' that rides on a vast urban magnetic levitation (MAG-LEV) system. The sports car was designed for scenes calling for Tom Cruise's character to drive outside the city limits.

The second vehicle features a full-glass roof and doors that, similar to sliding glass doors, open from the center to allow the occupant to step out. The computer-controlled pods move at speeds of 80 to 100 miles per hour. In the future city's transportation layout, private pods, taxis, and multi-passenger cars all negotiate the MAG-LEV system - making seamless transitions between vertical and horizontal surfaces.

Conceptual artist Harald Belker - whose film design credits also include 'Batman & Robin', 'Inspector Gadget' and 'Armageddon' - created the custom Lexus vehicles, with Lexus ultimately providing styling cues for the vehicles' designs.

July 2002