A Sensory Overload in Spain: The Lexus LBX Launch Event in Madrid

When an invitation from Lexus lands on our desk here at The Coolector, we know we’re in for something more than a standard press briefing. Their reputation for meticulous craftsmanship precedes them, so when they asked us to fly to Madrid for the Lexus LBX Launch Event, we expected a first-class experience.

What we received, however, wasn’t just an event; it was a full-scale immersion into the very soul of their brand. Lexus is on a mission to prove that true luxury isn’t a status symbol you buy, but a multi-sensory environment you inhabit. It’s an experience that engages everything you see, hear, touch, and even smell, and in the heart of Spain, they set out to prove it, with their groundbreaking new small SUV, the LBX, as the star exhibit.

The entire event was built around a central theme: “making luxury personal.” This is a concept we can squarely get behind. For Lexus, this means giving every owner the chance to make their car a genuine expression of their individual style.

The LBX itself is the perfect vessel for this new philosophy. It’s an authentic Lexus in every detail, yet it champions a more relaxed, “premium casual” feel that resonates perfectly with today’s desire for understated quality over old-world opulence.

This isn’t just a machine for getting from A to B; Lexus wants this to be a place where you can live your life. This message, central to their “Living in my LBX” campaign, was palpable. Rather than a rigid grade structure, the LBX is offered in different “moods,” where individual details, colours, and textures are harmonised to create a specific feeling.

It’s a contemporary twist that offers bolder colours, new upholstery textures, and tactile finishes that are rewarding to the touch, all while delivering a level of luxury you simply wouldn’t expect in a car of its size.

But how do you translate a feeling into a physical product? This is where we delved into the brand’s core principles. The first thing you notice, and what sets the stage for the entire experience, is CMF: Colour, Material, and Finish.

We had the chance to speak with Viviana Hohenstein, a Lexus CMF specialist from their European Design centre in the South of France, who explained the three guiding principles. First is Omotenashi, the Japanese spirit of hospitality and service. Second is Takumi, the pursuit of the finest craftsmanship rooted in artisan traditions. And third, and perhaps most fascinating, is Time.

This principle involves respecting Japanese heritage while driving innovation, creating a valuable experience whenever you spend time in the car. Viviana was clear: “We are now in an era of CMF design that uses sensory experiences to create personalised and immersive luxury.

Today, the role of CMF is not limited to visual and surface aesthetics. It is also about sound, touch and smell, using all five human senses to optimise the user experience.”

This concept of “Time” was beautifully demonstrated by Lexus’s pioneering use of bamboo. Rooted in Japanese culture for over 1,200 years, bamboo is being championed by Lexus as a versatile, beautiful, and sustainable material.

It’s a raw material that can be transformed into everything from an alternative to leather and plastic to textiles and interior trims. This isn’t just a nod to sustainability; it’s a tangible link to heritage, an act of “giving back” to the communities that harvest it, and a perfect example of how Lexus is creating products that feel both responsible and luxurious.

This sensory journey continued into the realm of scent. Lexus hasn’t just installed a generic air freshener; they’ve partnered with Givaudan, a world leader in fragrance and wellbeing with over 250 years of expertise.

This is a partnership built on a shared passion for craftsmanship, innovation, and emotion. Smell is one of our most powerful senses, triggering up to 75% of our daily emotional responses. Givaudan is working with Lexus to create in-car fragrance systems that add another dimension to the drive.

They’ve even developed a new, tailored bamboo accord specifically for Lexus, a signature perfume that captures the atmosphere of Japan’s bamboo forests, which will be used in five new fragrances for future vehicles.

This will all be part of a “Sensory Concierge” system, set to debut in the all-new Lexus ES, which will seamlessly co-ordinate climate, lighting, and fragrance to create a mood, whether you want to be calmed, refreshed, or energised.

Of course, you can’t talk about an in-car environment without talking about sound. For over 25 years, Mark Levinson has been Lexus’s exclusive audio partner, and this relationship is key.

Their acoustics specialists are involved from the earliest stages of a new car’s development, ensuring the audio system is bespoke to the car’s specific interior architecture. The near-silent cabin of the new LBX provides the perfect stage for the new custom-engineered 13-speaker Mark Levinson® Premium Sound system.

Using Quantum Logic Surround Technology, it creates an incredibly accurate and full-blooded sound stage, designed to replicate the intimacy of a jazz club or the grandeur of a symphony hall right in your driver’s seat.

Lexus finished their multi-sensory assault by engaging our final sense: taste. In a move that perfectly encapsulated their Omotenashi principle, they rolled out the “Omotenashi-on-the-Go,” a unique take on the roadside food truck.

This was no conventional vehicle. At over six metres long and finished in a sleek black and copper Lexus livery, it was an authentic piece of automotive design. The interior, conceived with professional chefs, featured high-performance stoves and ergonomic prep stations, with a countertop inspired by the iconic Lexus grille.

It was a space capable of serving haute cuisine to 50 guests, and to bring the entire concept full circle, it was, of course, equipped with its own integrated Mark Levinson audio system and featured stunning “Iris” lamps—delicate, soap-bubble-like blown glass spheres created by a 2014 Lexus Design Award winner.

The Madrid launch event was a resounding success, proving that the Lexus LBX is far more than just a car; it’s a command centre for a new, deeply personal, and all-encompassing definition of luxury.

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