primatives

Hey guys,

Was just wondering if anyone can tell me what innovations have been introduced by Lexus. I know off the top of my head they had led lights ( I think), self parking. I know the Germans have some pretty cool stuff like, dual clutch transmission, HID lights, DRL, and laser lights.

I feel like Lexus are playing catchup or copying and not innovating. I could be wrong.

primatives

Oh and I also think Lexus introduced Altezza lights while not innovative it was still cool in its day

Nospinzone

I think Lexus may have been the first with a touch screen. Unfortunately they have since regressed to the BMW mouse (or whatever they call it).

caha14

The ones that come to mind on the LS460 are industry-first 8-speed tranny and advanced park assist (as you pointed out).

I also remember first luxury hybrid (RX400h) - more specifically, the first hybrid tuned for performance.

There is also a chance that Lexus was first to use direct injection (at least broadly across multiple models) circa 2005 when L-finesse vehicles began to debut (2nd gen IS, 3rd gen GS and LS460).

There is more, I am sure, in Lexus' marketing materials

swfla

iTrader: (1)

High quality and dependability at a reasonable price compared to the competition trumps any gadgetry in my book.

Doublebase

I'd say Lexus is the first company to use direct injection successfully (in terms of reliability and without the carbon deposit problem all others are experiencing). That's quite an achievement.

I don't know if they were the first, but they were early in the game on electric steering, electric valve control motors, electric throttle, and electric parking brake systems.

And of course Toyota has the best hybrid technology among the car manufactures, they actually have sold their technology to Nissan.

CRowe14

...From the sounds of it, I would surmise that Lexus has really been the innovator's/originators of technology that contributes to superior mechanical longevity and unmatched reliability and even performance.
I'll take that over some headlights/"laser lights", although cool, any day of the week.
Also, as long as other manufacturers struggle with matching the reliability and longevity of Lexus, I'd say that others are still playing "catch up"!

1WILLY1

iTrader: (9)

That's pretty much all I care about as well.

Id much prefer bulletproof reliable with a few outdated , but handy luxuries

primatives

Really? I know Toyota compete in WEC but not sure if its the best. Porsche and Ferrari have been able to come up with cool cars like the La Ferrari and 918. Wonder if Toyota/Lexus can come up with anything like it. Would be pretty cool!!

Devh

That had to be the worst thing to happen for Lexus.

Devh

This is correct sir.
Lexus biggest innovation is competing in the luxury arena with a better quality car for a lower price.
They did it by using mostly cross platform bin parts found in their reliable economy cars. Switches, relays and overall engineering design that has kept quality consistent.
When you are buying a Lexus you are essentially buying a luxury Toyota that has a lot of Camry and Corolla in in it's DNA. You are also buying a piece of Japanese tradition that is never overrated like the German stuff.

What it trades for gadgets is quality in the build that is often behind the scenes. I think there are a lot of stupid consumers that get carried away with advertising and social status. When you spend nearly 100k on a car it should be built right first, gadgets secondary.

SW17LS

All the others have said is true.

IMHO the biggest innovation from Lexus that has caught on everywhere is optitron gauges. Think about it, when the LS first came out nobody had anything like the optitron, always backlit fade to black when off gauges, now basically every car has optitron gauges.

ShamanLS

Well, the biggest innovation in my opinion is that Lexus vehicles have luxury + reliability. This is a very hard equation to satisfy. It's known that luxury reduces reliability. But that is not the case for lexus

enjo

I quite agree.

primatives

If you're paying 100k for a Lexus don't you want parts that aren't on a cheaper model? Just wondering. I guess I'm trying to understand from other peoples point of view. I do like looks, performance and tech. Reliabiltity is also important I just assume todays technology and the amount of testing they do that cars should pretty reliable but that is not always the case.

I had a 1990 toyota tarago that i only took to the dealer once to service. The rest I did the basic maintenance and it never broke! Had 250k on it until my dad traded it in.