Lexus has just announced the launch of its “Hybrid Vehicle Concept”, an electrically-assisted pedal-powered bicycle – albeit one that is not intended to become a production reality at this stage. The bicycle has an intriguing specification that Lexus claims resonates with the value of the luxury car brand.
In making this link to the world of bicycles, Lexus is not of course the only OEM in the world. Some, notably Peugeot, can claim a long heritage in bicycle production that actually pre-dates their entry into the car business. The old Rover brand was also synonymous the fundamental safety frame design that became the template for millions of bicycles worldwide. Porsche and Audi have both, in their time, made branded mountain-bike style bicycles available as expensive options for consumers who wanted to carry over the brand cachet of engineering excellence from four wheels to two. More recently, Lotus gained considerable brand leverage from the bicycle designed by them and used by a British sprint cyclist to good effect. In a slightly left-field development, smart with the fortwo made a unique and rather elegant A-frame bicycle rack to mount on the rear of the car.
There are clearly modest possibilities in terms of cross-selling and, more importantly, brand values that are offered by applying the brand name to products outside the normal range for an OEM
So, a long and honourable tradition is being followed by Lexus. There are clearly modest possibilities in terms of cross-selling and, more importantly, brand values that are offered by applying the brand name to products outside the normal range for an OEM, although the limits were probably explored by GM with their refrigerators using the famous Frigidaire brand.
Despite the positive benefits, however, there is also a clear risk as exposed by the Lexus bicycle. Quite simply, the bicycle is arguably a much more exciting, more adventurous, and more environmentally sound piece of engineering than any of the cars. The Lexus press release claims:
“The Hybrid Bicycle adopts similar principles, with the pedal power of the rider boosted by assistance to the front wheel from a 240W electric motor, via a 25.9V Lithium-ion battery, with a choice of Eco or Power modes. And, as with Lexus Hybrid Drive, there is an energy regeneration function that helps recharge the battery by capturing kinetic energy generated under braking. The Lexus Hybrid Bicycle has all-wheel drive, by means of a belt system. It is equipped with an electric eight-speed Shimano internal gear system, which references the sophisticated eight-speed shift-by-wire automatic transmission of Lexus’s LS 600h limousine. The carbon fibre construction shares the same light-but-strong composite materials technology that was used on Valentino Rossi’s MotoGP-winning motorcycle.”
It rather begs the question, when are we going to see such an impressive array of materials and technologies on the cars? In particular, the carbon fiber construction that makes so much sense in terms of weight reduction clearly does little to echo the design of the car range.
when are we going to see such an impressive array of materials and technologies on the cars?
To be fair, Lexus has done its best to draw parallels with the innovative technologies of the cars, but it has also exposed a key area of lack of progress in vehicle technology. While powertrain continues to be the focus of excitement and R&D investment, the need for really drastic weight reduction with novel materials and production processes is being neglected – not just by Lexus but by the automotive industry as a whole.
Dr Peter Wells is a Reader at Cardiff Business School, where he is a Co-Director of the Centre for Automotive Industry Research and leads the automotive industry research programme within BRASS, also in Cardiff University. Dr Wells is also a director of AutomotiveWorld.com’s sister website AWPresenter.com. He can be contacted on wellspe@cardiff.ac.uk.
The opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of Automotive World Ltd.
