If you are a devout reader of CA&E, you are well aware of the major advances in mobile entertainment that have been going on in just the last year. Video, whether it is through a DVD player, television tuner or a videocassette player, and a wide assortment of monitors on which the movies or television can be shown are starting to appear on all sorts of vehicles, especially sport utes. The aftermarket may have pioneered the way in this trend, but original equipment manufacturers for the big auto makers of the world are now getting involved as well.
Technology is moving so fast! So what may be in store for us in the next few years? Rosen Products, a company that manufactures mobile entertainment products as an original equipment manufacturer for Ford, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Toyota, Mercedes-Benz, and Mazda, has created the ultimate crystal ball with this 1999 Lexus LX470 SUV. It was designed and constructed to be a concept vehicle to show off what the not-to-distant future may hold, and is referred to as the UV-1 or Unlimited Vision. According to Chuck Paul, senior engineering manager in charge of aftermarket products and applications engineering for Rosen Products, Eugene, OR, the vehicle exhibits concepts that may or may not appear in our vehicles during the next two to five years.
In the front compartment the...
In the front compartment the rearview mirror was replaced by two 8-inch widescreen LCD monitors. Recaro seats in the back with fold-down 15-inch monitors above the steering wheels for video racing.
The 1999 Lexus LX470 was used because the company didn't want to show favoritism for any of the car makers it does business with. The vehicle went through an assortment of modifications to sort of camouflage what type of vehicle it really is.
SUV into a Time Capsule
Besides wanting to make a stunning statement with what is inside the Lexus, Rosen wanted to wow people with a spectacular exterior. So major modifications were performed to the front and rear of the vehicle. The front silhouette appears beyond stock with the modification of the fender and grille and the raising of the hood. The showcase or the wow factor on the front is a 14-inch LCD monitor or panel in a wide format where the license plate would normally be. This is an actual video monitor that displays the license plate as well as a special marketing presentation with a dancing Rosen Products' logo. In the rear, the shape and appearance of the vehicle was radically altered when the tail lights were shaved and filled in. Handles were also removed and the logo "UV-1" was put into the custom built bottom roll pan. The profile was further modified with the addition of a molded spoiler or wing, and 21-inch rims holding BF Goodrich tires on the four corners.