Lexus’ Cardboard “Origami Car” Is a Full-Size Drivable Sedan

The project is, of course, a bit of a publicity stunt, albeit on the premise of celebrating Lexus’s “takumi craftsmen and women”.

The takumi hone their skills by making Origami with their non-dominant hand.

A full-size origami inspired Lexus IS Saloon, the World’s first origami vehicle, is unveiled at Toyota’s Headquarters in Surrey.

It was built by LaserCut Works and Scales and Models, London-based specialist companies with extensive experience in the design and creation of prototypes, architectural models and bespoke commissions.

Using the model to create a profile of the vehicle, they laser cut 1,700 sheets of 10mm-thick cardboard which were then glued together and left to dry after each application. The origami IS is powered by an electric motor which means it can be driven and if safety is a concern fear not, it we imagine it must have very large crumple zones.

A team of five people assembled the vehicle.

The auto was designed to capture the company’s philosophy of Creating wonderful in design and engineering and was fused from 1700 fully recyclable laser-cut cardboard sheets.

‘Just like Lexus, we were committed to producing the best possible quality’.

“The seats took a few attempts to get just right and the wheels required a lot of refining”.

The three-month building process was rather complex and involved diving a digital 3D model the IS into a series of principal parts, such as the main body, dashboard, seats and wheels.

Starting October 8, the life-like Lexus IS origami replica will be showcased at the NEC in Birmingham, UK.

“Styling on cars is all about surfacing and angles, and how things change as you move around them; how does a car’s shape evolve from the front to the side to the back”.