Tokyo Auto Salon: TTAC Visits The 2UX3J Booth

Bertel Schmitt
by Bertel Schmitt

The upscale Lexus brand and the car-kichi people that frequent the Tokyo Auto Salon usually go together like tailcoats and a Dirty Rotten Imbecils concert. As in not. This year, the Lexus booth is a major attraction, despite the fact that many people, including me, had to be told that Lexus is at the show. They are there under (a black) cover and under a false name. The designers of the Lexus booth pulled-off a whimsical and humorous concept, from the design of the all-black-on-bare-concrete booth to the choice of cars on display. It starts with the name on the booth. It says 2UX3J. But it’s Lexus.


It’s Lexus in reverse, as demonstrated by this helpful 2UX3J employee. The motto is “Urban Circus – Real Or Fake?” Most of what is in that booth is at least surreal. And I like it.

For instance this Lexus 600. The choice of Japanese heads of state and leaders of industry looks like the usual matte-black SEMA job. Step a little closer …

… and you see that this thing is adorned with spikey nails, as if it’s the daily driver of a Kabukicho fetish queen.

The BDSM style of the LS600 leaves onlookers a bit perplexed.

This is a CCS-R. It already is a Pikes Peak winner, and it still is called a concept. When I ask when this thing finally will be available for purchase, a helpful product specialist says something that sounds like Japanese played backwards. The livery however makes the car go fast even when it stands still.

Then, there is an innocent looking, but totally perplexing car. It is white, and we will cover it in the next story.

Before we do that: Someone made very creative and very daring proposals here. I have great respect for managers that approve controversial ideas like this one.

Bertel Schmitt
Bertel Schmitt

Bertel Schmitt comes back to journalism after taking a 35 year break in advertising and marketing. He ran and owned advertising agencies in Duesseldorf, Germany, and New York City. Volkswagen A.G. was Bertel's most important corporate account. Schmitt's advertising and marketing career touched many corners of the industry with a special focus on automotive products and services. Since 2004, he lives in Japan and China with his wife <a href="http://www.tomokoandbertel.com"> Tomoko </a>. Bertel Schmitt is a founding board member of the <a href="http://www.offshoresuperseries.com"> Offshore Super Series </a>, an American offshore powerboat racing organization. He is co-owner of the racing team Typhoon.

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  • Oldyak Oldyak on Jan 12, 2013

    Lexus answer to BMW????? Put WW1 German helmet spikes on the hood!!!!! LOL..... The Germans are still being copied. Long live BMW!!!!!!

  • Polar Bear Polar Bear on Jan 12, 2013

    Since Bertel is too discreet to say what Kabukicho is, I will do it. Kabukicho is a red light district. If you want to grope fake school girls in uniform on a fake train, this is the place. Which reminds me. Been a while since we heard about porn star Sora Aoi. Is she working for Lexus now?

    • Bertel Schmitt Bertel Schmitt on Jan 12, 2013

      Correction: Last I looked, the chikan booth was at Sleeping Beauty, and that used to be in Shibuya. Closed. Sora Aoi defected and is a big hit in China.

  • GregLocock That's a bodge, not a solution. Your diff now has bits of broken off metal floating around in it.
  • The Oracle Well, we’re 3-4 years in with the Telluride and right around the time the long term durability issues start to really take hold. This is sad.
  • CoastieLenn No idea why, but nothing about a 4Runner excites me post-2004. To me, they're peak "try-hard", even above the Wrangler and Gladiator.
  • AZFelix A well earned anniversary.Can they also attend to the Mach-E?
  • Jalop1991 The intermediate shaft and right front driveshaft may not be fully engaged due to suspected improper assembly by the supplier. Over time, partial engagement can cause damage to the intermediate shaft splines. Damaged shaft splines may result in unintended vehicle movement while in Park if the parking brake is not engagedGee, my Chrysler van automatically engages the parking brake when we put it in Park. Do you mean to tell me that the idjits at Kia, and the idjit buyers, couldn't figure out wanting this in THEIR MOST EXPENSIVE VEHICLE????
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