Lexus Interactive, developed in-house in Texas and debuting in the 2022 NX, will spread across almost all of the brand’s U.S. lineup over the next three years and will replace the current touchpad system that one Lexus engineer here admitted “will not be missed by anyone.”
The physical proof that Lexus is aiming the NX at a younger audience can be found throughout the vehicle, where technology replaces even some of its most mundane and ubiquitous functions. For example, the door handles are digital, enabling the NX to prevent occupants from opening their doors into the path of an oncoming bicyclist or vehicle.
Like other luxury vehicles, its rearview mirror has transformed from a mere piece of glass into a video screen that displays an unobstructed image of what’s happening behind it. And on the center console, a monostable shifter — which puts the vehicle either in forward, neutral or reverse before returning to its original location, and uses a button to engage Park — replaces the current model’s traditional PRNDL multiposition shifter.
Like the NX’s new shifter, the brand’s demographic issue will also require a deft touch, Gilleland admitted.
