5 car things that remind us of Star Wars

We've been seeing a surprising amount of Star Wars in the car industry lately. Nissan has created a special edition Rogue, along with the one-off X-Wing Rogue above. We even recently learned that Darth Vader inspired the design of the 2018 Mustang.

Seeing these Star Wars-inspired machines got us wondering, are there any other cars or features that remind of us of the great galactic saga? Turns out there are a few. And while any connections are purely coincidental, we doubt you'll be able to look at these cars without thinking of star fighters and Jedi warriors ever again.

We start the list where the Star Wars story begins, for better or worse, Episode I. Regardless of your feelings on the film, there's no denying that the pod racing scene was memorable. The race and the pods were fast and brutal, none more so than Sebulba's bright orange pod. It's huge X-shaped engines and Sebulba's aggressive racing dominated the course.

Huh, where have we seen a bright orange color scheme and an "X" motif before? Oh yeah, the Polaris Slingshot. Looking at the two side-by-side, you would think the powersports company had the movie on in the background while designing the little sportster. Even from above, the wide front and narrow tail fit the shape of the pod racers.

Following up on a vehicle that reminds us of the first episode, is one that reminds us of the latest installment (as of this writing): Episode VII. In The Force Awakens, we're introduced to up-and-coming Sith lord Kylo Ren, whom sports an angry looking helmet with satin metal lines running horizontally up it.

It seems the Lexus LX 570 followed a similar dark path as Ren. The finish and spacing of the Lexus grille's slats are very similar to the helmet. The resemblance isn't perfect, since the lines of Ren's helmet are more curved than the Lexus grille's slats. However, they're both aggressive, and both likely scare small children.

One of the coolest things about Star Wars is the Force. Who hasn't wanted the ability to move objects without touching them, and control people's minds with a wave of the hand? In the BMW 7 Series, you can almost do that.

BMW implemented gesture controls that allow you to wave and twist your hand in different ways to control the infotainment. You can jump to navigation, adjust volume, and more without touching a thing. It might not be as practical as simply pressing a button, but it is way cooler. And if your friend tries it and can't figure it out, you can just tell him that he isn't strong enough with the Force.

The Lexus LX 570 isn't the only vehicle on this list that could have been inspired by Star Wars head gear. It's not even the only Toyota product. Looking at the nose of the current Prius, and you can make out a resemblance to the Imperial Stormtrooper helmet. Its center grille reminds us of the mouth opening of the classic helmet, and other grilles in the bumper are analogous to the different respiratory openings of the Imperial head wear.

We would also like to put an honorable mention here for the current Dodge Charger and Fiat 500. The Charger's angry maw had an inherent resemblance to the helmet worn by the First Order Stormtroopers in The Force Awakens, and the Fiat 500 has a similar overall shape. However, both were given the custom treatment in a marketing tie-in, so they don't fulfill the criteria of being coincidentally Star Wars-related.

We conclude our list with a reference to the one thing that might be cooler and more synonymous with Star Wars than the Force: the light saber. The weapon of the prudent Jedi warriors, power-hungry Sith lords, and the luxurious Audi A4.

Ok, the last entry in that list doesn't really have a light saber, but its turn signals sure look like them. Flip the switch and the car's sequential indicators illuminate LEDs in sequence until the line is complete. A little slower, and with the trademark sound effects, and you would swear Audi packaged tiny sabers in plastic for the A4.