Lexus adapted two of its electrified models to create sculptures that evoke artificial intelligence creations. These pieces were commissioned by the conceptual collective MSCHF, located in Brooklyn, and are part of the exhibition titled Motomorphosis. The show is open to the public in New York during Armory Week, an event that brings together the city's main contemporary art fairs.
The exhibition displays the production cars alongside their altered versions. The electric SUV RZ 450e was transformed into the Circle Car, whose body curves into a loop connecting the front to the rear, suggesting continuous movement. Meanwhile, the RX 450h+, a plug-in hybrid model, gave rise to the Twisted Car, characterized by a longitudinal twist that elongates the body lines in a spiral shape.
MSCHF refers to these works as 'form cars,' distinguishing them from 'concept cars,' which are the prototypes developed by automakers. This distinction is intentional: while a car is made to move, these sculptures were modeled solely to evoke the idea of movement, without possessing any mechanical functionality.
According to Lexus, the choice of this theme aims to shift the focus of the electrification discussion away from the technical aspect and towards the symbolic. Lisa McQueen, the brand's senior marketing manager, stated in a press release that while most conversations about electrification focus on how the vehicle is energized, 'Motomorphosis asks another question: what can electricity fuel in our imagination?'
The distortions presented are a pattern in the collective's work, which often translates common effects of the digital environment into the physical world. In the context of this show, the inspiration comes from transition frames found in three-dimensional animations, where shapes expand and contract during movement.
The two SUVs used in this project have equivalents in the Brazilian market. The RX 450h+ is sold in Brazil starting from R$ 614,990, according to dealership price lists. The RZ 450e has not yet arrived in the country; its national version is the RZ 500e, launched in May for R$ 499,990, equipped with 381 hp and 53.8 kgfm combined.
Lexus clarified that the exhibited vehicles are special project units, modified with components that do not belong to the brand, and warned that such modifications may void the warranty, endanger safety, and prevent use on public roads.