Image Credit: Sharp.
Shut the front door… And the sliding door. And the tailgate. A car... from Sharp?
Yup. Sharp. The people who built the television you're probably watching, the microwave you use to nuke your leftovers, and the air purifier that battles your cat's dander. They are, apparently, getting into the car business. I've been in this game for a very long time, writing about anything that floats, flies, or rolls, and just when I think I've seen it all - boom. A microwave manufacturer decides to build a minivan.
2024 Sharp LDK+ Electric Minivan Concept. Image Credit: Sharp.
To be fair, they aren't exactly firing up a production line in their TV factory. Sharp wisely teamed up with Foxconn, the people who assemble just about every electronic gadget you own. And the result of this surprising collab is this new creation: the "LDK+" concept. It's an electric minivan that wants to be less of a car and more of a rolling appliance. And honestly, given the source, that's probably the most "on-brand" thing they could have done.
This isn't Sharp's first attempt either. They showed a prototype in 2024 that was, by all accounts, a bit of a weird-looking box. This new version, set for the Japan Mobility Show, looks more like a car. The "cab-over" design is gone, replaced by a more traditional minivan snout. It's got the now-mandatory EV-face: a full-width LED light bar, a covered grille, and a big logo. It's aggressively fine. It's generic. It's the two-tone vanilla ice cream of automotive design.
2024 Sharp LDK+ Electric Minivan Concept. Image Credit: Sharp.
My gentle skepticism kicks in the moment I see the details. The new van has traditional door handles and mirrors, which whispers "we're actually going to build this." It has sliding doors that open up to a pillarless entry. I have to admit, I'm a sucker for that. It creates a gloriously wide hole in the side of the vehicle, making it easy to climb in, or, I suppose, to forklift-load a new refrigerator.
Inside, the "lounge" concept really takes over. Because it's an EV, it has a completely flat floor. The driver's seat swivels around to face the rear. Why? So you can join the conversation in the back, of course! There's a three-person bench back there, and the whole space is designed to be an "extension of the living room." There's even a console box with a foldable table for, I presume, holding your Martinis. Or, more likely, a laptop, since Sharp also calls the LDK+ a "remote workspace."
Image Credit: Sharp.
Sharp even fixed their old mistake. The original concept had a ridiculous 65-inch screen. That's gone, thank heavens. Instead, this new one has a projector and a retractable screen that drops from the ceiling - you can park this thing and turn it into a mobile movie theater. It's a brilliant solution for surviving long family road trips, or for hiding from your family in the driveway. "Sorry, honey, can't help with the dishes, I'm in a meeting... In the van."
The LDK+ runs Sharp's "AIoT" platform. That's "AI" and "Internet of Things." This car talks to your house, and not just "Hey Google" stuff. Sharp says it will link with your appliances - your air conditioner, your washing machine, your fridge. The AI supposedly learns your habits... Does this mean my car will know I'm craving ice cream and tell the fridge to order more? Does it tell the oven to preheat when I'm 10 minutes from home? What if I don't want to go home? Does it rat me out to the toaster?
Image Credit: Sharp.
There's only one feature in this bundle of connectivity that actually makes me sit up and nod. It has V2H capability. Vehicle-to-Home. It can integrate with your home solar panels and battery systems. This means when a storm knocks out your power, your electric minivan can power your house. The car stops being a toy and becomes a vital piece of home infrastructure. That's not a gimmick. That's genuinely, brilliantly useful. It's the best kind of electric tech, and it's becoming very popular in Japan.
A rolling living room, a home theater, and a backup generator. Perfect. But what about the car part? You know, the driving bit? What kind of batteries does it have? What's the range? 300 miles? 400? How much power? What's the 0-to-60 acceleration time? What's the price?
Image Credit: Sharp.
crickets…
We have absolutely no idea. Not a sausage. Sharp tells us all about how it syncs with a washing machine, but not how fast it goes or how far it drives. This is the definition of the modern EV market. It's like buying a new laptop, and the salesman only wants to talk about the color, refusing to tell you what processor is inside. "Oh, it processes... data. Beautifully."
Image Credit: Sharp.
We know it shares its bones with the Foxconn Model A, which is also a minivan. And Foxconn's van is supposedly hitting Japanese roads in 2027. But as for this Sharp LDK+, your guess is as good as mine. When will it launch? No clue. How much will it cost? Let's just say I'm bracing my wallet. A $40,000 family hauler? Or an $85,000 luxury lounge?
I love the future. I love new tech, and I love that we're pushing the boundaries of what a "car" is. But at the end of the day, a car has to be a car. The Sharp LDK+ is a fascinating, wonderful, and slightly weird concept for a smart device. I just hope that underneath all the projectors and AI, they remembered to build a decent electric minivan.
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