Lexus and the Cerebral Palsy Foundation have both teamed up to create a one-of-a-kind vehicle for one special driver. The driver and owner of the car is Finley Smallwood, who suffers from Cerebral Palsy.
“At Lexus, our core design philosophy has always been human-centric,” said Cooper Ericksen, Lexus group vice president, product planning & strategy. “We create vehicles around the art and science of human needs. In this case, we wanted to push the envelope and explore what that might mean for a child with cerebral palsy who hasn’t been able to experience the joy of mobility like other children have.”
The ride-on vehicle was designed with modifications that make Finley’s cruises in the Lexus possibly. For instance, she can’t sit for a long period of time, so they added extra padding. Lexus also added an adjustable headrest, five-point harness, increased door size and lowered ground clearance. And because children with Cerebral Palsy may struggle with having enough strength to turn a wheel, an armrest joystick was added for steering. These modifications allow her drives to be safer and easier.
“Oh, and we painted the body of the car purple,” noted Ericksen. “Because that’s Finley’s favorite color.”
