Lexus unveiled its bespoke concept vehicle at the Aspen Food & Wine Classic and we have questions.
We’re dedicated fans of Lexus, and like the looks of the 2024 Lexus GX, but this particular GX has us scratching our heads. Is it April Fool’s Day again already? Or is Dominos beta-testing a new delivery vehicle? Why else would the sophisticated Japanese automaker outfit a Lexus GX with Monogram kitchen appliances to essentially create a pricey one-of-a-kind kitchen-in-a-car that would instantly become an ooey, gooey mess?
The bespoke vehicle’s Smart Flush Hearth Oven, “is for pizza,” Lexus tells us, “…or branzino.” Um, branzino? As in raw fish that you’re meant to store in the car’s refrigerated Monogram drawer before cooking in the car’s build-in oven without even so much as a pine-scented air freshener hanging from the rear-view mirror?
Maybe it’s just me, but though I can roll with the idea of eating a slice on the go, the idea of wayward mozzarella and anchovies mingling with the car’s gorgeous diamond-stitched upholstery does not whet my appetite.
The luxury brand spins the story by stating that it’s “taking the GX experience to a new level, where road adventures meet culinary experiences.” But the real explanation is that it’s a stunt to bring attention to GE Monogram’s cutting edge appliances such as the Forge Heated Ice Press — the first and only heated ice press in the U.S.
And it’s in a car.
That makes about as much sense as the GX’s cold food drawers, plating station, interior wine and spirits bar (complete with glassware, bitters, and a folding cutting board) and exterior wine and bourbon storage with pressure-fitted cutouts on the exterior side panels. Last we heard, drinking and driving is kinda frowned upon pretty much everywhere.
“The Monogram GX puts an entirely new spin on the road trip experience with a crafted, culinary journey,” says the executive director of Monogram appliances in the same press statement with the following fine print: “The vehicle shown is a special project vehicle modified with non-Lexus parts that may void warranty, negatively impact safety, and not be street legal.”
In that case, Lexus has either created a very novel knickknack or an underground Uber side hustle.
