The Tokyo 2020 Olympics are finally happening in 2020. And if you’ve been watching on NBC or streaming online, you’ve likely noticed a prevalent Toyota commercial featuring a futuristic vehicle you have not seen before. What is that weird car that Toyota keeps showing? It’s called the LQ Concept.
What is the Toyota LQ Concept?
Toyota debuted the LQ concept in Fall 2019 at the Tokyo Motor Show, an evolution of Toyota’s Concept-i “car of the future” from 2017. Toyota said its goal with the LQ was to have the car “create an emotional bond with its driver.”
The LQ includes two main features. Yui, which Toyota describes as an “onboard artificial intelligence agent” that monitors the driver to provide a “personal mobility experience.” The car also features SAE Level 4 autonomous driving, which allows the car to operate itself within a geofenced area with no driver input.
When will Toyota sell you a car like that? Not for a while. Toyota does have a new user interface debuting though it is far from Yui’s capability. And Toyota’s progress on autonomous driving is a limited rollout of their Level 2 Lexus Teammate tech on the 2022 Lexus LS 500h.