Lexus makes car tyres out of solid ice

IT MIGHT not be the first time they have come up with an extravagant promotional stunt, but Lexus’ latest idea is just ridiculous.

EVER wondered what would happen if you replaced the tyres on your 1800kg car with solid blocks of ice?

If so, today is your lucky day.

In their most extravagant marketing stunt to date, luxury car manufacturer Lexus has produced a set of working solid ice tyres to fit onto their new NX crossover vehicle.

The project, in conjunction with Hamilton Ice Sculptors, took three months to complete, with the company financing a number of tests to develop a prototype that would fit perfectly on the NX.

Lexus posted a video of the ice tyres in action to their Twitter account on Monday.

We're #CreatingAmazing again with #LexusOnIce: A unique blend of engineering and art for the winter season. https://t.co/eHCPpiKgW4

— Lexus UK (@OfficialLexusUK) December 21, 2015

The video was shared on Lexus UK’s YouTube channel, where the project was described as proof that “anything is possible.”

“The Lexus hallmarks of expert design, sublime style, and supreme craftsmanship have driven our ethos of Creating Amazing for years, both in our production vehicles and our concepts. For our latest project, we put a team master craftsmen to the test as we tackled our coolest concept yet: the ice-tyre Lexus NX.” the caption read.

“Like the highly-trained Lexus ‘takumi’, Hamilton Ice Sculptors combine generations of experience using traditional ice-sculpting methods with the latest technology to design and produce their works of art.

“Employing advanced techniques like laser-scanning, three-dimensional computer-aided design (CAD), and multi-axis machining equipment, they could produce consistent wheel and tyre combinations ready for hand-finishing with traditional tools and techniques.

“With the ice tyres ready and the NX suitably chilled in its icy chamber, the moment of truth saw the wheels and ice tyres mounted onto the frozen Lexus hybrid (which started first time, of course) ready for its first attempt at driving on ice. Part engineering, part art, this unique project came together to prove that anything is possible with the right combination of desire, skill and dedication.”

The ice wheels took three months to perfect.

According to the post, the car had to be deep-frozen at -30C for five days before it was ready to be rolled out onto the road in London.

Despite acting as an incredible feat of frozen water engineering, the stunt doesn’t really do much to promote the other attributes of the car — not an uncommon feature of some of Lexus’ most recent advertising campaigns.

The video attracted a number of rather confused comments from YouTube viewers, bewildered as to the purpose of the company’s latest venture.

“So what’s a point of this?” one use wrote.

“When money meets stupidity, expect outrageous pointless crap like this,” said another.

One user even went as far as mockingly reviewing the new tyres.

“Just to review these tyres since I’ve tried them, they look cool but the tread wear sucks. Less than two miles and more than half the tread was gone. The handling is very slippery and the tyres compound cracks a lot. They’re very noisy and sound like you’re driving on crushed glass. Did I mention they’re expensive?” he said.

In October this year, the company produced a working, electric-powered car built entirely from cardboard. The origami mobile added to a creative line of marketing ploys, which includes a liquid nitrogen-powered hoverboard and a car that responds to your heartbeat.

It’s @OrigamiDay! Take a look at the world’s first origami-inspired car! #Lexus @OfficialLexusUK pic.twitter.com/Ny2V02pfYq

— Lexus Liverpool (@LexusLiverpool) November 11, 2015

Despite their less than conventional advertising approach, the stunts appear to be working. In 2015, the Lexus NX saw success as the ninth most searched car on the internet, and the most searched luxury car on Google.

In the month of November, Lexus also saw a 6.8 per cent increase in sales compared to the same time last year.

For that, they get a 10 out of 10 for innovation.