Lexus’ Origami Car

Origami, the ancient art of folding paper has taken new heights as Lexus takes the spirit of the ‘takumi’ (skilled men and women who hone their dexterity to fold paper into shapes at the Lexus production plant), and builds its first-ever, origami-inspired replica of the IS sedan using cardboard sheets. 

The origami-inspired car was made using 1,700 fully recyclable, laser-cut cardboard sheets and it is powered by an electric motor, so it is fully driveable. A team of designers from UK-based laser cutting firm LaserCut Works, 3D model maker Scales and Models and packing company DS Smith, worked together for three months to complete this full-size model, which will be displayed at the Grand Designs Live home improvement show taking place  in the Birmingham’s National Exhibition Centre.

The process began with a digital 3D model of the IS provided by Lexus. The team working on the full-size cardboard model divided the car into various parts, such as the main body, the dashboard, seats and wheels. Each of these parts were then rendered into 10mm-thick slices of cardboard, marked with its own reference number to help ensure assembly was done in the correct sequence and then glued together by hand, using a water-based wood glue, which had to be left to set for 10 minutes between each layer application.

Lexus’ origami car has a fully fitted interior, functioning doors, headlights and wheels all made from cardboard. The car’s electric motor is mounted on its steel and aluminum frame.

To see how the origami car was assembled, check out the video below.