Updated info on Lexus/Toyota STYLING direction
09-22-03, 07:51 AM
#1
Guest
Posts: n/a
Updated info on Lexus/Toyota STYLING direction
For Lexus's future, Hunter noted the "value perceptions" of affluent consumers are changing and Toyota's luxury brand will have to keep pace."At the time of Lexus's launch, affluent people communicated their wealth by what they owned, usually showing the expense of the material or its rarity. Luxury now means more than the possessions or things you acquire. It also includes experiences, such as travel. This now includes services, showing that you have the luxury of being able to enjoy the value of their own time," he noted.
Hunter said Lexus design intends to respond to the new challenges with a philosophy based on three principles that he described as "intriguing elegance", "incisive simplicity", and "seamless anticipation." The entire concept is called L-finesse and offers originality and clarity of purpose and clearer market segmentation from the Toyota brand.
The whole article.
Toyota Designing More in U.S.
New facility, hopes Japan’s titan, will give it a styling edge.
by Joseph Szczesny
Toyota is intent on pushing its vehicles' styling into new territory, according to one of the company's top design executives. And one of the forces behind the new styling will be a new studio established outside Ann Arbor, Mich., for designing future products, the company said last week.
The new studio, Calty's first capable of turning out full-scale clay models, will open next year with a staff of four designers, according to Kevin Hunter, vice president of Calty Design Research Inc. of Newport Beach, Calif., Toyota's West Coast styling think tank.
In a speech to the Automotive Press Association in Detroit, Hunter said Toyota designers in the United States would soon be able to watch their designs move from sketches to full-size clay prototypes without having them sent back to Japan for refinement.
Evolution time
The opening of a design studio for full-size models outside Ann Arbor is the next step in the evolution of Toyota's design effort, said Hunter. Calty has become an important training ground for Toyota designers from around the world, he added: "Calty is playing a pivotal role in the globalization of Toyota by contributing localized American design activity. That in turn helps us be a better corporate citizen and provide an even bigger boost to the global economy."
Calty will play an even larger role in developing vehicles for the Toyota, Lexus, and Scion brands that appeal even more to American tastes, needs, and desires, Hunter said.
"I think you're going to start seeing Toyota designers have more say in how vehicles' proportions are developed and [in] vehicle architecture," he added. "It's always important that engineers understand design and aesthetics and designers understand what engineers face," Hunter said.
Hunter said Toyota's current design direction has been successful, "But we do feel a need to step it up a notch in our expressiveness," he said.
"I think Toyota design has a real strong desire to develop their brand identity. So just keep watching and I think you'll notice some fantastic things coming," he suggested.
"Certainly in the American side we're getting more global in our tastes. I'm not sure what's purely American any more in pop culture. I think what you'll see from Toyota is a little more strength in vehicle proportions and stance.
No retro
Although there might be some exceptions with vehicles such as the Land Cruiser, one direction Toyota won't be going in its designs is retro, Hunter said. "We're not looking back too much," Hunter.
Toyota is interested in developing a "family" look for its vehicles that could extend across several different models, Hunter said.
For Lexus's future, Hunter noted the "value perceptions" of affluent consumers are changing and Toyota's luxury brand will have to keep pace.
"At the time of Lexus's launch, affluent people communicated their wealth by what they owned, usually showing the expense of the material or its rarity. Luxury now means more than the possessions or things you acquire. It also includes experiences, such as travel. This now includes services, showing that you have the luxury of being able to enjoy the value of their own time," he noted.
Hunter said Lexus design intends to respond to the new challenges with a philosophy based on three principles that he described as "intriguing elegance", "incisive simplicity", and "seamless anticipation." The entire concept is called L-finesse and offers originality and clarity of purpose and clearer market segmentation from the Toyota brand.
The Toyota brand's designs also will get more attention, Hunter said.
"Society is in transition from mass production and consumption to the careful use of products for as long as possible. Customers now prefer designs that retain their attractiveness for a longer period of time," he noted.
"The goal of creating longer-lasting design is expressed in a shift towards a cleaner taste and a more static balance. Our competitors are actively pursuing this direction," Hunter noted.
"The downside of this design trend towards clean and static design is the danger of projecting an overly conservative image," Hunter said.
Hunter said Toyota places "great importance on finding designs of long-lasting appeal that project a sense of excitement, vitality, and excitement that touches the human heart."
Toyota now uses 21 different body silhouettes in North America and 80 around the world, Hunter noted. "We intend to work hard on creating and sustaining a strong sense of consistency within these models both through design language and brand cues such as grilles, added Hunter, who described the emerging Toyota design philosophy as vibrant clarity.
The fledgling Scion brand also will continue to focus on surprising function and imaginative design aimed directly at the hearts and minds of Gen Y drivers.
The original article:
Toyota Motor Corp. will open its first U.S. studio to design production cars in Ann Arbor next year as part of the Japanese automaker's drive to match its styling to its top-notch quality and engineering.
The studio will be staffed initially by four designers who will work closely with the engineers at the Toyota Technical Center in Ann Arbor to produce vehicles tailored specifically to American tastes.
"Design is now recognized as a priority -- we need to step it up a notch," said Kevin Hunter, vice president of Toyota's California-based advanced concept car studio, Calty Design Research Inc. "People really want vehicles that look and feel designed to drive."
Pleased with the high quality of Toyota cars, many American consumers have settled for the automaker's bland styling.
Initially, Toyota's conservative look helped the automaker attract large numbers of mainstream buyers in the United States and seriously challenge Detroit's Big Three, said Art Spinella, president of CNW Marketing Research Inc. in Bandon, Ore.
"But the risk with that kind of design is that it tends to appeal to an aging customer base, and at some point, you become a Buick or Oldsmobile," he said.
Now, with Toyota's most successful Japanese rivals Honda Motor Co. and Nissan Motor Co. rolling out edgier designs, such as Nissan's imposing Titan pickup, engineering-driven Toyota must focus more on the styling of its cars.
Preferences vary widely among regions of the world. Americans and Europeans, for instance, like cars with wheels spread out further to the sides, evoking the vehicle's driving performance. But Japanese car owners prefer taller, slender vehicles with the wheels tucked underneath.
In Europe, Toyota's sales took off after the automaker introduced a locally-designed compact in 1999, the Yaris, which shares the same mechanical underpinnings with the Echo small car sold in the United States.
With the new studio in Ann Arbor, "we can go from concept, to production, to the market, all right here in the United States," Hunter said.
"The result will be a highly unified national design effort that will help Toyota, Lexus and Scion create vehicles that appeal even more to American tastes and needs."
In future vehicles targeting the U.S. market, "you'll see a better relationship between the tires and the body of the car, a shorter overhang," he said.
With the new emphasis on styling, Toyota wants to establish a clearer distinction between the Toyota marque and Lexus, the automaker's luxury brand, which share components and engineering.
Competing in the mainstream market, Toyota will strive for clean and timeless lines.
"Customers now prefer designs that retain their attractiveness for a longer period of time," Hunter said.
For the Lexus luxury vehicle range, the HPX concept vehicle, a sporty luxury crossover shown at the New York auto show in April, expresses the warm elegance the brand wants to convey.
"It's almost the opposite of Audi," Hunter said. "It's not cold, mechanical, but more human."
Hunter said Lexus design intends to respond to the new challenges with a philosophy based on three principles that he described as "intriguing elegance", "incisive simplicity", and "seamless anticipation." The entire concept is called L-finesse and offers originality and clarity of purpose and clearer market segmentation from the Toyota brand.
The whole article.
Toyota Designing More in U.S.
New facility, hopes Japan’s titan, will give it a styling edge.
by Joseph Szczesny
Toyota is intent on pushing its vehicles' styling into new territory, according to one of the company's top design executives. And one of the forces behind the new styling will be a new studio established outside Ann Arbor, Mich., for designing future products, the company said last week.
The new studio, Calty's first capable of turning out full-scale clay models, will open next year with a staff of four designers, according to Kevin Hunter, vice president of Calty Design Research Inc. of Newport Beach, Calif., Toyota's West Coast styling think tank.
In a speech to the Automotive Press Association in Detroit, Hunter said Toyota designers in the United States would soon be able to watch their designs move from sketches to full-size clay prototypes without having them sent back to Japan for refinement.
Evolution time
The opening of a design studio for full-size models outside Ann Arbor is the next step in the evolution of Toyota's design effort, said Hunter. Calty has become an important training ground for Toyota designers from around the world, he added: "Calty is playing a pivotal role in the globalization of Toyota by contributing localized American design activity. That in turn helps us be a better corporate citizen and provide an even bigger boost to the global economy."
Calty will play an even larger role in developing vehicles for the Toyota, Lexus, and Scion brands that appeal even more to American tastes, needs, and desires, Hunter said.
"I think you're going to start seeing Toyota designers have more say in how vehicles' proportions are developed and [in] vehicle architecture," he added. "It's always important that engineers understand design and aesthetics and designers understand what engineers face," Hunter said.
Hunter said Toyota's current design direction has been successful, "But we do feel a need to step it up a notch in our expressiveness," he said.
"I think Toyota design has a real strong desire to develop their brand identity. So just keep watching and I think you'll notice some fantastic things coming," he suggested.
"Certainly in the American side we're getting more global in our tastes. I'm not sure what's purely American any more in pop culture. I think what you'll see from Toyota is a little more strength in vehicle proportions and stance.
No retro
Although there might be some exceptions with vehicles such as the Land Cruiser, one direction Toyota won't be going in its designs is retro, Hunter said. "We're not looking back too much," Hunter.
Toyota is interested in developing a "family" look for its vehicles that could extend across several different models, Hunter said.
For Lexus's future, Hunter noted the "value perceptions" of affluent consumers are changing and Toyota's luxury brand will have to keep pace.
"At the time of Lexus's launch, affluent people communicated their wealth by what they owned, usually showing the expense of the material or its rarity. Luxury now means more than the possessions or things you acquire. It also includes experiences, such as travel. This now includes services, showing that you have the luxury of being able to enjoy the value of their own time," he noted.
Hunter said Lexus design intends to respond to the new challenges with a philosophy based on three principles that he described as "intriguing elegance", "incisive simplicity", and "seamless anticipation." The entire concept is called L-finesse and offers originality and clarity of purpose and clearer market segmentation from the Toyota brand.
The Toyota brand's designs also will get more attention, Hunter said.
"Society is in transition from mass production and consumption to the careful use of products for as long as possible. Customers now prefer designs that retain their attractiveness for a longer period of time," he noted.
"The goal of creating longer-lasting design is expressed in a shift towards a cleaner taste and a more static balance. Our competitors are actively pursuing this direction," Hunter noted.
"The downside of this design trend towards clean and static design is the danger of projecting an overly conservative image," Hunter said.
Hunter said Toyota places "great importance on finding designs of long-lasting appeal that project a sense of excitement, vitality, and excitement that touches the human heart."
Toyota now uses 21 different body silhouettes in North America and 80 around the world, Hunter noted. "We intend to work hard on creating and sustaining a strong sense of consistency within these models both through design language and brand cues such as grilles, added Hunter, who described the emerging Toyota design philosophy as vibrant clarity.
The fledgling Scion brand also will continue to focus on surprising function and imaginative design aimed directly at the hearts and minds of Gen Y drivers.
The original article:
Toyota Motor Corp. will open its first U.S. studio to design production cars in Ann Arbor next year as part of the Japanese automaker's drive to match its styling to its top-notch quality and engineering.
The studio will be staffed initially by four designers who will work closely with the engineers at the Toyota Technical Center in Ann Arbor to produce vehicles tailored specifically to American tastes.
"Design is now recognized as a priority -- we need to step it up a notch," said Kevin Hunter, vice president of Toyota's California-based advanced concept car studio, Calty Design Research Inc. "People really want vehicles that look and feel designed to drive."
Pleased with the high quality of Toyota cars, many American consumers have settled for the automaker's bland styling.
Initially, Toyota's conservative look helped the automaker attract large numbers of mainstream buyers in the United States and seriously challenge Detroit's Big Three, said Art Spinella, president of CNW Marketing Research Inc. in Bandon, Ore.
"But the risk with that kind of design is that it tends to appeal to an aging customer base, and at some point, you become a Buick or Oldsmobile," he said.
Now, with Toyota's most successful Japanese rivals Honda Motor Co. and Nissan Motor Co. rolling out edgier designs, such as Nissan's imposing Titan pickup, engineering-driven Toyota must focus more on the styling of its cars.
Preferences vary widely among regions of the world. Americans and Europeans, for instance, like cars with wheels spread out further to the sides, evoking the vehicle's driving performance. But Japanese car owners prefer taller, slender vehicles with the wheels tucked underneath.
In Europe, Toyota's sales took off after the automaker introduced a locally-designed compact in 1999, the Yaris, which shares the same mechanical underpinnings with the Echo small car sold in the United States.
With the new studio in Ann Arbor, "we can go from concept, to production, to the market, all right here in the United States," Hunter said.
"The result will be a highly unified national design effort that will help Toyota, Lexus and Scion create vehicles that appeal even more to American tastes and needs."
In future vehicles targeting the U.S. market, "you'll see a better relationship between the tires and the body of the car, a shorter overhang," he said.
With the new emphasis on styling, Toyota wants to establish a clearer distinction between the Toyota marque and Lexus, the automaker's luxury brand, which share components and engineering.
Competing in the mainstream market, Toyota will strive for clean and timeless lines.
"Customers now prefer designs that retain their attractiveness for a longer period of time," Hunter said.
For the Lexus luxury vehicle range, the HPX concept vehicle, a sporty luxury crossover shown at the New York auto show in April, expresses the warm elegance the brand wants to convey.
"It's almost the opposite of Audi," Hunter said. "It's not cold, mechanical, but more human."
09-22-03, 02:13 PM
#3
Lexus Fanatic
Originally posted by gadgetSC
Hope this means that they will start designing some cars worth looking at. My 2c
Hope this means that they will start designing some cars worth looking at. My 2c
--
Yeah...looks like they finally noticed it.
09-22-03, 02:56 PM
#4
Lexus Champion
Hunter said Lexus design intends to respond to the new challenges with a philosophy based on three principles that he described as "intriguing elegance", "incisive simplicity", and "seamless anticipation."
09-22-03, 03:07 PM
#5
Lexus Champion
Hunter said Lexus design intends to respond to the new challenges with a philosophy based on three principles that he described as "intriguing elegance", "incisive simplicity", and "seamless anticipation." The entire concept is called L-finesse and offers originality and clarity of purpose and clearer market segmentation from the Toyota brand.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
adpock
Car Chat
11
05-31-15 08:16 AM
