Wondering Why the Lexus LS Concept Has 6 Wheels? Ask Akio Toyoda

What’s so surprising about the Lexus LS concept isn’t just that a van could one day sit at the top of the brand’s lineup — it’s that it has six wheels.

More than that, the ones in the back are tiny, especially compared to the enormous rollers up front that are much more in keeping with modern convention for concept vehicles. And if you’re wondering why it was designed this way, you’ll have to go straight to the top for your answer.

That’s according to Ian Cartabiano, the head of Toyota’s design studio in California, who said during media day at the Japan Mobility Show where the LS concept was displayed publicly for the first time that it was Akio Toyoda, Chairman of Lexus parent company Toyota, who made the unusual request. But the logic behind it makes a lot of sense considering its mission as a new flagship for the brand — and one that redefines the brand’s longstanding LS moniker.

“He wanted to be in this really serene space while going through Tokyo to a business meeting,” Cartabiano said of Toyoda’s idea for the six-wheeled concept. And with the LS name shifting to its new meaning of luxury space, the smaller wheels were a way to offer more of it inside.

“The rear wheels are small, and so there’s a lot less intrusion into the cabin,” Cartabiano said. “So the wheel housing in the back doesn’t eat into the cabin space as much, so you have maximum interior volume.”

Of course, the viability of such a design on a production vehicle remains to be seen, but the results are undeniably effective. According to Cartabiano, the extra rear wheels would lead to greater driving stability, but ultimately it’s the form and functionality that benefit the most.

“From a design point of view, not only does it allow us to have this more avant garde exterior, but it creates a new sense of interior space,” he said.