Lexus Debuts Sriracha IS Concept Car
Sriracha, the spicy, bright red Thai sauce — which has been the star of EDM festivals and appears in so many dishes some people are sick of it — is now drivable. Lexus has unveiled its latest custom car: a 2017 Lexus Sriracha IS. And yes, it even has sriracha in the paint.
The automaker partnered with Huy Fong Foods on the car, which was on display at The Los Angeles Auto Show from November 18 through 27 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Sad news: the car is not currently for sale.
“We wanted to work with the original and were pleased that David Tran at Huy Fong Foods was open to collaborating with us,” says Mariko Kusumoto, Lexus national marketing communications manager. “If you’re a fan of sriracha, you know that the rooster bottle, green cap, and pure spiciness can’t be replicated and fans of the rooster sauce won’t settle for anything bland. It was a perfect pairing. This is our first food-inspired car and don’t have any other foodie cars planned right now.”
Lexus farmed out the development of this unlikely Los Angeles Auto Show star to the crew at West Coast Customs, which even pondered injecting actual hot sauce into the paint. According to a press release, Lexus experimented with a range of mixtures and methods, “including adding sriracha sauce to the paint itself,” to create the custom red color — which, naturally, comes with “flecks of chili-like flakes.”
The 2017 IS model lineup continues with a three model line, including the IS 200t, IS 300 AWD, and IS 350, available in RWD and AWD. All three offer an F SPORT model that further revs up the bold style and handling agility.
Don’t worry, it’s ridiculous on the inside too. There’s also – get this – a Sriracha-Injected Steering Wheel. A Sriracha-like liquid was cast in resin, then formed into a Lexus steering wheel, complete with a warning for “Hot Handling.” Sriracha Temperature Settings for the seat warmers and AC/heating system have been upgraded to go from cool to Sriracha hot. Sriracha Driving Mode tunes the powertrain for faster gear changes and more dynamic throttle mapping. Plush leather seats are hand-embroidered with the Huy Fong rooster logo, the Sriracha IS logo and green accents. Custom Sriracha IS Badging on the side, rear and door wells identify this model, while illuminated callouts under the passenger and driver’s doors add a level of exclusivity.
Finally, the trunk is stocked with 43 bottles of Sriracha for emergency condiment situations. And if you run out of that, the key fob includes an emergency chili button that dispenses the sauce from a nozzle on the fob, so drivers are always prepared.
The hot car also comes with a hot driving jacket. For this collaboration, Lexus created two one-of-a-kind jackets that feature hand-embroidered images of the Sriracha IS and custom Sriracha IS patches to commemorate this sizzling venture. The handling on the Sriracha IS is so hot, custom oven mitts are necessary.
Need a fix? Unfortunately it’s not for sale, but we’ll let you know if it does hit the streets. Keep in touch with us at Lexus of Highland Park to find out.
