Lexus reveals ‘Origami’ vehicle as a ‘celebration of craftsmanship’

Lexus The fascinating origami project took three months to complete. Lexus has perhaps trumped everything else though, by building a full-size, drivable cardboard vehicle.

Continue reading for the full story. The design team was supported by DS Smith, who provided the recyclable cardboard. Check this origami Lexus IS saloon hitting the road and think again.

A gallery was shared to Lexus UK’s Facebook page the same day the videos were shared, showing the intricate, close up details of this piece of art. Take a close look at each detail, from the Lexus logo on the front and rear, to the cup holders and dashboard inside, because chances of seeing this auto in person are slim. The vehicle was digitally sliced into 10 millimeter (0.4 inch) sections, and provided to the gurus at LaserCut Works. This allowed the team to provide the two-dimensional profiles needed to laser cut each of the 1,700 sheets of 10-mm thick cardboard. You though carbon fiber is cool? Is cardboard the next big material revolution?

The cardboard Lexus IS was created to show Lexus’s “promise of creating amazing”.

In a blog, the company said the auto had been inspired by the Japanese art of origami, “taking the spirit of [origami] to a far higher level”. Other than that, it has a fully fitted interior, functioning doors, headlights and rolling wheels, all formed from the layered cardboard sheets.

The model IS was built upon a steel and aluminum frame and is powered by an electric motor to move it forward or backward.

Creating this model took a five-person team consisting of professional designers and modelers from LaserCut Works, and Scales and Models.

‘The seats took a few attempts to get just right and the wheels required a lot of refining. Holding the vehicle together is the work of a water-based wood glue. Each slice was given a reference number to ensure everything was assembled in the correct order.

Accuracy was vital, as changes couldn’t be made once the glue had dried.