GS - The Spindle Grille Story Part 2

Reply Subscribe

Thread Tools

Search this Thread

05-06-12, 01:13 PM

Stormforge

executive matchup

Thread Starter

Join Date: Apr 2008

Location: BC

Posts: 5,771

Likes: 6

Received 10 Likes on 8 Posts

GS - The Spindle Grille Story Part 2

There’s a lot of talk about the design being “aggressive.” Is this really how Lexus wants to be seen?

Inatomi: Our primary consideration is, and remains, the customer. We know that today’s premium car markets are diversified, and people desire more emotional and impressive character from their vehicles. Team GS, headed by Mr. Kanamori, has achieved this with the driving experience of the new GS, and at the same time, our design team has done the same. Yes, there is aggression with this look, but there is also pure beauty that expresses how this is a unique, driver’s car. We achieve this through the “dynamic contrast” of L-finesse.

How is this different from other marques’ designs?

Inatomi: We believe our uniqueness lies in the fact. With the new GS, at first, you see a forthright boldness, but you also see purity and elegance. For example, the side profile has a simple purity of form, in contrast with its aggressive “face.” This harmony of simplicity and dynamism, without any excess of expression, is appropriate for a driver’s car of this nature. The rear sustains this impression with its strength and elegance. Visual impressions, in fact, change all the time with the new GS, creating an intimate, personal experience for the owner. This is something that L-finesse has promised from the very beginning.

Does this relate to the L-finesse concept “Time in Design”?

Inatomi: Absolutely. Anyone looking at the new GS, as they transition from the wider point of view through to the smallest detail, can enjoy a journey of discovery, depending on where and how long they look. The spindle grille, for example, with its deeply sculptured, three-dimensional design, seems to draw in the air. Indeed, the GS design as a whole suggests airflow, inspired by our desire to unify the vehicle with natural wind. The spindle grille embodies this quality, changing its “facial expression” depending on your viewing angle. In fact, the entire design suggests that the vehicle is assimilated with the wind and its tireless, yet natural and flowing, endurance. This new and dynamic design, inspired by the very essence of driving, is closely associated with the value of “time.”

The grille, door mirror, and many other features do look like they are shaped by airflow.

Inatomi: That’s right. Wherever possible we integrate functional design that contributes to better aerodynamics and cooling performance, while overcoming lots of technical restrictions. At the same time, we aim at an expression of dynamism that gives drivers an uplifting feeling of performance. The airflow design is a new expression of dynamism. The spindle grille of the new GS is a combination of two elements—cooling functionality and the perception of airflow. It is the result of a new dimension of dynamic design, and our desire to design boldly while making best use of functionality.

Tell us about some of the challenges involved with the spindle grille design.

Inatomi: As I have said, we are pursuing function, dynamism, and beauty. For instance, the way the grille frame opens out in the lower trapezoid shape, when viewed from the front, shows how we have carefully considered the functional requirements of the brake ducts. The design also meets our aesthetic requirements, with the car expressing a dynamic and firm road-holding posture. “Time in Design,” as I have said, is another consideration. We were striving for the perfect 3D perspective to create the grille profile, so that people could clearly register the sense of airflow while also enjoying the beauty of the grille and its fascinating detail from any angle. Put it this way: we made—and discarded over and over again—countless clay models of the front body parts, such as the area around the grille, before we got it just right.

Evolution or revolution?

Inatomi: This car, with the spindle grille as its focal point of design, clearly evolves from what we have done in the past. But there can also be no question that the pace of change has suddenly picked up with this design.

And other new Lexus models?

Inatomi: In the same way that the first L-finesse GS introduced a new design concept for the whole line, it’s safe to say that the same process will be repeated. The implication of course is that, along with the driving experience for each model, new design will also follow the dynamic principles established by the new GS.