That's hard to say. Certainly trends come and go, and the auto manufacturers do watch that (and listen too much to the automotive press), but at times it seems that they make decisions that leave too little choice.

A good example is the switch to so-called open pore wood, which has swept the industry in recent years. On the ES unless you get the Palamino interior (with open pore walnut) you are relegated to black open pore who-knows--what "wood" (not counting the aluminum trim on the F-Sport). As is the case in most brands, to me at least, it looks cheap and like something you'd find with an IKEA label. One criticism of the old highly polished wood, sometimes valid, was that it had a plasticky appearance and was hard to differentiate from the real thing. Those of the Lexus offerings were quite beautiful I thought. But this generic looking black they are using could easily be plastic and it looks like it, feeling machined and artificial, with no richness to it at all. I have no doubt it is cheaper to make. And as for the "looks like plastic" criticism, how does one explain the over-indulgence in "piano black" in many cars? Usually it IS plastic, easily scratched, and a total magnet for dust and fingerprints. Some brands like Audi may use real wood beneath the shiny coating but it is slathered everywhere in the cabin and, while it may look okay when new or in a photo shoot, it still looks like crap in a car on high touch areas.

Shiny is bad, I guess...until it isn't.

 

This is why, ladies and gents, they make chocolate and vanilla...

 

Mine is brown inside (Flaxen) and I think it is the second best colour for the ES.

Beige and Flaxen were on my list when I bought the car.

 

Coffee ice cream is my fav!