Unveiling the Future: Introducing the Toyota Baby Lunar Cruiser (BLC) Concept!

CALTY Design Research, Toyota’s American design hub, celebrated 50 years of groundbreaking innovation. They’ve shaped iconic Toyota vehicles from the 1978 Celica to the 2024 Tacoma and revealed the Toyota Baby Lunar Cruiser concept.

The A40 series Celica Liftback was designed by David Stollery from CALTY.

I was lucky enough to attend CALTY’s 50 year anniversary event and got to take a look inside their beautiful facility in Newport Beach.

CALTY’s journey started in 1973 in El Segundo, California, influencing fresh design trends. They quietly researched, ventured into high-performance cars, and contributed to Toyota’s North American models.

The FT1- concept sits in their lobby. Design elements were incorporated into the current Toyota GR Supra we see today on the streets.

Now, they unveil the Baby Lunar Cruiser, blending heritage with futuristic capabilities. The BLC is designed to conquer rugged terrains both on Earth and beyond, incorporating adaptive technology and heritage design cues from the legendary FJ40 Land Cruiser.

Toyota BLC VR experience.

They had a HTC Vibe VR experience where guests were able to walk around and look inside the BLC. I’ve done VR experiences before and I usually get dizzy so I let my friends go on this one. I also wanted to enjoy the rest of the night.

Toyota Tacoma pick up truck.

Throughout the decades, CALTY’s role evolved alongside Toyota’s growth in the US. In the 1990s, CALTY contributed significantly to Toyota’s production vehicles for the North American market, including designs like the 1995 Tacoma, 1st gen Prius and the Previa mini-van.

Color and interior designer’s room.

The 2010s saw an era of fun-to-drive, exciting vehicles, with highlights including the 2012 Fun-Vii concept, the 2012 Lexus LF-LC, which evolved into the 2018 Lexus LC500, and the 2014 FT-1 concept, which later became the 2020 Supra. CALTY continued to push boundaries with concepts like the Scion NYC, exploring future transportation trends in major cities.

Lexus LF-LC model.

Today, CALTY boasts a talented team of designers, clay modelers, digital sculptors, and specialists working collaboratively to shape the future of mobility in this awesome environment. Who wouldn’t want to work here?

I once was an owner of the FJ Cruiser. Killing myself for selling it.

The tour was followed by a reception party to celebrate CALTY’s 50 years and beyond headlined by Kevin Hunter, president of CALTY Design Research.

Lastly I leave you with some images from the CALTY 50th anniversary book written by my friend Sam Mitani.

I knew he was working on this book with Toyota USA but my god, this is not just some coffee table book with a few nice photos. It is 352 pages of images and detailed text on the history of CALTY. Great job to Sam and everyone at CALTY and Toyota USA for putting together such an awesome documentation on the history of CALTY.

The caveat is that it’s a limited edition book with just 1005 copies printed. If you’re interested, perhaps a few copies will make it onto eBay in time but don’t hold your breathe. This thing is a keeper.