Social media exploded recently after a strange, pyramid-shaped vehicle rolled down a ramp in a video titled “Kanye previews his new Yeezy Cyber Truck.” At first glance, the mysterious car looked like something straight out of a science fiction movie—or maybe just an especially aggressive solar panel. Comments flooded in. Some joked it looked like a desktop paperweight, while others shrugged and said, “Yeah, definitely a Kanye thing.”
Given Kanye West’s reputation for bold, eccentric designs—from dome houses to his Yeezy fashion line—it wasn’t hard to believe he might have collaborated with Elon Musk to create the most bizarre Cybertruck yet. But here’s the twist: the vehicle making waves online has absolutely nothing to do with Kanye, Tesla, or Musk.
Instead, the real story is even more fascinating.
What Is the ‘Kanye Cybertruck’ Really?
The vehicle everyone’s talking about is actually the Lo-Res Car, a radical concept vehicle designed by Rem D. Koolhaas, a Dutch architect and founder of the shoe company United Nude. Built not for mass production but as an artistic statement, the Lo-Res Car is a pure exercise in conceptual design. It’s one of only four examples made in the world and was never intended to be road-legal.
According to United Nude, the car’s design was inspired by one of the most iconic shapes in automotive history: the Lamborghini Countach. Koolhaas took the aggressive, angular spirit of the Countach and “lowered the 3D resolution” of its form, creating a radically simplified, geometric shell that looks like a rolling piece of modern art.
Rather than functioning as a typical vehicle, the Lo-Res Car is more about exploring the boundaries between automotive design, architecture, and art.
What Makes the Lo-Res Car Unique?
If you think the Lo-Res Car looks wild on the outside, wait until you hear about what’s under the hood—or rather, inside the polycarbonate clamshell.
The Lo-Res Car is powered by a five-kilowatt electric motor paired with a single-speed transmission, capable of reaching a maximum speed of around 50 km/h (about 31 mph). In other words, it’s not built for speed. It’s built for statement.
Inside, the vehicle features a tandem seating layout (one passenger behind the driver), front and rear light bars, and a hexagonal steering wheel that matches the overall futuristic aesthetic.
The entire car is encased in a semi-transparent polycarbonate body, giving it a striking, glowing appearance under certain lighting. But because of its experimental design, it was never meant to meet road safety standards. Modifying it to make it street-legal would have compromised its radical artistic vision.
From Art Galleries to Internet Fame
The Lo-Res Car isn’t new. Since its debut in 2016, it has been exhibited in several prestigious venues, including the Grand Basel automotive design showcase in Switzerland and the Disruptors exhibition at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles.
In fact, the Petersen Museum previously owned one of the three Lo-Res prototypes and even auctioned it off in 2021. The car sold for $111,111, with proceeds benefiting both the museum’s collection care and the non-profit organization Energy Independence Now.
The car also made an appearance in pop culture before the Kanye rumor mill started spinning. It was featured in rapper Rich The Kid’s music video for his track “New Freezer,” adding to its reputation as a symbol of futuristic cool.
Rem D. Koolhaas himself described participating in the music video project as a perfect fit: “It was about experimentation and pushing boundaries, so I felt at home,” he said.
Why Everyone Thought It Was Kanye’s Cybertruck
Given Kanye West’s history of embracing minimalist, futuristic designs—and his well-known friendship with Elon Musk—it’s easy to see why fans made the connection. Plus, Kanye has a well-documented love for unique vehicles, including an obsession with rugged Sherp ATVs.
The Cybertruck itself, with its origami-like design, already feels otherworldly. So when something even more abstract popped up, many assumed it had Ye’s fingerprints all over it.
Add the fact that Kanye is known for blurring the lines between fashion, music, architecture, and technology, and it’s no wonder the rumor took off like wildfire.
But at the end of the day, the viral vehicle wasn’t part of Kanye’s creative empire. It was simply the Lo-Res Car living up to its purpose: sparking conversation, challenging norms, and making people think differently about what a “car” can be.
Conclusion
The viral “Kanye Cybertruck” turned out to be a piece of design history, not a secret Yeezy project. Created by Rem D. Koolhaas as an homage to creativity and radical thinking, the Lo-Res Car isn’t just a vehicle—it’s a symbol of where imagination meets engineering.
And maybe that’s what made it so believable. Whether it’s Kanye West or an avant-garde architect, some minds just aren’t built to follow the crowd—they’re made to reshape it.