Lexus is embracing winter magic in a new spot created with creative partner AKQA, using AI-assisted techniques to create an imaginative journey seen entirely from inside the calm, cocooned interior of a Lexus moving through the night.
“We challenged AKQA to explore an AI film for our winter promotions, and everyone has been blown away by the quality and craft of what they delivered,” said Rudy Boeman, Lexus brand and communications manager. “The film does a fantastic job of playing to the strengths of AI to create a magical world that aligns perfectly with our ‘Built for Every Kind of Wonder’ positioning. We’re already looking forward to our next project together.”
The film drifts through snowy hikes, frozen lakes, and softly shifting winter landscapes, with visual details that subtly evolve as the journey unfolds. Small touches of seasonal magic are layered into each scene, creating a sense of quiet wonder rather than spectacle overload.
As the film reaches its conclusion, the scale of the adventure gently collapses into something more intimate. What first appears to be a sweeping winter odyssey is ultimately revealed to exist inside a snow globe held by a young girl riding with her family in an everyday Lexus, reframing the entire journey as an act of imagination rather than geography. Watch below:
“This work reflects AKQA’s belief that intelligent technology, when guided by strong vision, opens new dimensions for storytelling and creativity,” said Jakob Mark, creative director at AKQA. “It was only enabled further by our present collaboration and the incredible trust our partners at Lexus have put in us to push the boundaries further.”
AKQA led the project from start to finish, combining traditional art direction with generative tools and image-to-video techniques inside its virtual production workflow. The process streamlined production without sacrificing creative intent, ensuring that storytelling, pacing, and visual choices remained firmly guided by human judgment.
The spot is running across social and digital platforms throughout Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Compared to much of the current wave of AI-generated advertising, the work feels more refined and restrained, making it easier for audiences to engage with the technology without being distracted by it.
REELated:
Glad and Oscar the Grouch drop trash-filled musical collab
