Lexus Wants You to Lick Your Steering Wheel to Start Your Car

Shopping for the perfect vehicle can be difficult, but Lexus has created an easy way to make the process painless.

Working with leading personal genetics company, 23andMe, Inc., Lexus will soon offer “Genetic Select,” a revolutionary new car buying experience. Available starting April 1 at Lexus dealerships, Genetic Select takes into account the only thing that matters when shopping for a car: the driver. It uses a patented DNA sequencing model-to-model technology that pairs drivers to a Lexus vehicle that’s tailored to their every characteristic.

By using the driver’s DNA, the process can accurately predict which vehicle is the right choice, fully customized based on genetics. For example, if the customer does not have a genetic variant for bald spots, the car will come equipped with a sunroof. Or if a driver is genetically prone to more freckles, they’ll get tinted windows. Lexus claims Genetic Select enables the automaker to deliver the perfect color, trim, horsepower, seating configuration, and radio presets, within a 99.99967 percent degree of accuracy.

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If you’re interested, the process takes about 10 minutes with a Lexus service staff member collecting a saliva sample and sending it off to 23andMe for sequence testing. Within 48 hours, the perfect vehicle will arrive at your doorstep. Best of all? You don’t even need a key to operate it. There’s a revolutionary saliva-powered start-system that operates via a DNA ignition sensor on the steering wheel. Yes, just lick and drive.

“Lexus has always obsessed over crafting an individual experience for customers, both in selecting their vehicle, as well as in the ownership process,” said Cooper Ericksen, Lexus vice president of marketing. “Exceeding customers’ expectations is in the Lexus DNA. Now, we’re taking it to the next level by tapping into our customers’ DNA, too.”