Toyota reveals out-of-this-world Baby Lunar Cruiser concept

The new Toyota Baby Lunar Cruiser (BLC) concept car has been revealed as a glimpse into the future by Calty, the California design and research studio founded by Toyota in 1973.

The concept draws inspiration from the original FJ40 Land Cruiser and the real Lunar Cruiser being developed by the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (Jaxa) in conjunction with Toyota and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries to conquer rugged terrain on Earth and beyond.

As the world moves towards electrification, the concept is powered by in-wheel electric motors and controlled by dual joysticks. The BLC also has airless tyres and exceptional outward visibility thanks to its protruding glass canopy and a full array of cameras and lidar/radar sensors for a panoramic, augmented reality dashboard display.

Adjustable spaceframe seats and modular lightweight load-carrying equipment panels — an organisational grid commonly used to attach and hold many different pieces of gear — give the interior the flexibility to adapt to any kind of adventure. 

The actual Jaxa Lunar Cruiser which inspired the BLC is planned as a crewed space exploration device. It will have a pressurised cabin able to withstand temperatures ranging from -170° to 120°C, radiation and lunar sand, as found on the moon. It should also be able to travel for up to six weeks and a total 10,000km over 42 days.

Toyota plans to equip the vehicle with its next-generation hydrogen fuel cell capable of travelling up to 1,000km on one fill of the hydrogen tank.

“We understand that daytime on the moon lasts for two weeks and that night-time also lasts for two weeks, so the vehicle will need to generate electricity using solar photovoltaic panels and electricity will also need to be stored to use in the operation of other electronic devices outside of vehicle movement.

The Calty facility was the vision of former Toyota chairpersons Shoichiro and Eiji Toyoda. The studio was deliberately kept quiet to allow it to supplement and develop fresh inspiration to Toyota’s global design headquarters in Japan. The 1978 Celica, and 1995 and 2023 Toyota Tacomas are among its many creations, including the 1997 Toyota Prius, the 2018 Lexus LC500, the 2020 Supra and the new Land Cruiser. 

“As we continue our journey from the automotive era into the mobility era, there is one thing I feel I can say for sure that Calty will be there at the forefront,” said Simon Humphries, Toyota Motor Corporation chief branding officer and head of design.