Lexus Nuaero Concept by Jon Rådbrink

The crazy concept you see in these photos represent the Lexus Nuaero, created by Swedish student Jon Rådbrink. The design represents his final project at the Vehicle Design Dept. at the Royal College of Art and “proposes a new design language to communicate ecological efficiency through an architecture inspired by aerodynamics”. The Nuaero concept features a flowing catamaran underbody (made possible by in-wheel motors and hub-center steering) that ends in a massive venturi tunnel between the rear wheels. A super low-drag body is achieved by using an airfoil (wing profile) center, that blends between the nearly flat rearward tapered sides. To smoothly guide the air around the cabin, the angle of attack of the airfoil is optimized for efficiency while creating negative lift.

“I’ve been looking at different basic principles and ideas about aerodynamic efficiency and then combined them into a unique vehicle architecture. Usually aerodynamics is a final stage in car design, so this project kind of started where most projects finish” Jon said.

The final design features a flowing catamaran underbody - made possible by in-wheel motors and hub-center steering - that ends in a massive venturi tunnel between the rear wheels. A super low-drag body is achieved by using an airfoil (wing profile) center, that blends between the nearly flat rearward tapered sides. To smoothly guide the air around the cabin, the angle of attack of the airfoil is optimized for efficiency while creating negative lift.

The Lexus Nuaero has the dimensional impact of a luxury car, with an overall length of 4730 mm and a wheelbase of 3300 mm. The width is 1999 mm and the height is 1245 mm. But, in spite of its large presence, the approximated weight of just over 800 kg is not far from that of a SMART fortwo.

Jon Rådbrink (Via Gizmodo)