Lexus Gets Out of the Box with an Ice Wheel Set

Lexus, in its desire to leave something remarkable behind before 2015 ends, has gotten out of the box for its year-end stunt. As a follow up to its hoverboard and cardboard IS sedan projects with a weird yet captivating design, the luxury automaker unveiled an NX crossover riding on an ice wheel set. This launch gives a new meaning to the term “driving on ice”.

This year, Lexus did away with the usual stunts such as filming bizarre stunts with production cars or setting world records. Instead, it put a lot of effort into its publicity, collaborating on new and uncommon builds that work. The automaker’s new side project is not just a mere icy car sculpture for display, but a fully drivable car that literally rolls on ice.

According to Lexus, it spent three months researching, designing and testing the ice wheels in collaboration with London-based Hamilton Ice Sculptors before fitting a set to the NX. NX tires and wheels were laser scanned, then duplicated with frozen water. Each wheel took a team of four sculptors 36 hours to make. Thanks to acrylic inserts, the wheels are strong enough to support the NX, and LED lights also add some style.

Before unveiling its ice wheels on the street, Lexus geared them up by holding the entire NX in a -22°F (-30°C) deep freeze for five days. As the story goes, the NX began on the first attempt before rolling forward down the London road on spinning ice. It does not freezer-burn the pavement below with speed, but even the sluggish, steady roll is an enthralling sight to behold.

While the Toyota luxury arm has aimed its stunts this year at keeping its headline and YouTube viewer counts up, Lexus director Richard Balshaw Richard Balshaw links them into the carmaker’s greater mission. He says that projects such as their hoverboard, the origami-inspired cardboard car and now an amazing set of fully functioning ice wheels show how they use advanced technologies and the best craftsmanship traditions to attain excellent results. “That’s not just for eye-catching one-off projects, but for the cars we deliver to our customers, too.”