Motor, action!

What are the essential elements of this successful partnership?
For us, it is nothing short of an honour to partner with the Venice Film Festival, and to have been close partners for eight years. Our relationship is very strong and it goes beyond a simple business transaction, for it allows us to show the close relationship that exists between our brand and the world of culture. The VFF is an excellent platform to show and appreciate what we at Lexus share with the world of film. There are three points that make our collaboration what it is, and we believe they are essential elements in cinema, especially the kind of cinema we see here in Venice: the excellent quality of our products, which is all about attention to detail; technology and innovation, which themselves make cinema grow to its highest potential; and craftsmanship – our cars and the film in the VFF’s line-up are the work of artists who know how to forge and shape the elements that define these very special products. We want all who step onto our cars experience the same feeling of amazement that they feel when they see their dreams materialize on the silver screen.

What films of years past and of today may exemplify Lexus’s philosophy? What are you favourite movies, personally, those who left their mark on your emotional universe?
We are very proud to say we participated as co-protagonists in big movies, both in Hollywood and in Italy. There are some that made the history of cinema. One is Steven Spielberg’s Minority Report, starring, if I may say so, Lexus concept car 2054, which perfectly visualized our attitude of visionaries and innovators. For us, the future is today. We also participated to other big productions like Men in Black: International, Valerian, and many others
In some cases, Lexus supplied concept cars; in other, we went with production models, which obviously were adapted to cinematic fiction by some futuristic details, but at their core, they absolutely rendered the identity of our products: incredible aesthetics that promise exhilarating performance and emotions. Our message is this: Lexus Driving Signature, the ability to excite you while keeping your car under control at all times, maximizing comfort and creating a relaxing, safe environment.
So many films left their mark on my life. Off the top of my head, I remember that time my mother took me to see Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. It was me, her, and my sister… The first time I went with just my friends was to see buddy comedy Watch Out, We’re Mad! and the first I took my kid to the movies was for the amazing Cars. The last film I saw is Io Capitano, very touching and intense. The story of cinema is the story of my life, I can’t pick one film above the others.

This year, it won’t be a production model you’ll premiere in Venice, but a ‘future imaginary’, a prototype that we may call ‘cinematic’ in its ability to make us travel beyond what is real. What can you tell us about concept car LF-ZC?
We may call it a ‘trailer’ of the car that will enter production in 2026 and will be marketed in 2027. This car may look like future today, but for us, this is the real thing, this is the present. The very aesthetics of this car tell the story of its performance: slender lines and low centre of gravity for an electric car that will mount a next-generation battery. This prototype is capable of breakthrough performance in itself and also in the motorist’s ability to use and enjoy electric mobility.

Miriam Leone is your Brand Ambassador. Why is she the perfect image for Lexus cars?
Miriam is a great person and a great artist, a very capable professional and an empath, too–all together, this is what Lexus is all about. A story: the first time we met her she was visibly pregnant, still, she mastered the set with such ease it was almost unbelievable. As she stepped into the car, we all thought “she’s perfect. Period.” A perfect choice, we couldn’t be happier.