If you’ve been wondering when is Lexus going to get into the autonomous game, here’s your answer. The new Lexus LS+ Concept,unveiled at the Tokyo Motor Show 2017, comes with a pretty clever self-driving AI they call ‘highway Teammate’. It also previews the next iteration of Lexus’ L-finesse design language. 

So basically, Lexus LS+ Concept is what the brand’s sedans are going to look like in year 2020 and beyond. Technologically, too, the concept paves the way for the features we will be getting in upcoming Lexi. The autonomous feature in the LS+ is focused currently on highway driving, hence the nickname. On motor-vehicle-only roadways, through appropriate recognition, judgment and operation by onboard systems in response to actual traffic conditions, these technologies can already enable automated merging, lane changes and diverging, as well as keep a vehicle in its lane and maintain vehicle-to-vehicle distance.

The launch film for Lexus LS+ Concept suggests one can talk with this autonomous system instead of operating it via buttons and knobs. We don’t know if that’s for real, but it’d be cool to overtake someone simply by shouting the order at your dashboard. The artificial intelligence that controls self-driving in the LS+ is also connected to a data center. This allows new features to be added automatically, but we’re not sure about privacy implications of such a system. It appears cars are becoming more and more like smartphones.

The LS+ Concept, equipped with state-of-the-art technologies, indicates the future image of the “LS” flagship sedan. With its advanced yet dignified styling and automated driving technologies planned for application in 2020, the LS+ Concept was developed as a model that symbolizes Lexus’ foresight.