The spirit of craftsmanship resides in Lexus car manufacturing around the world. Through the Lexus IS and Lexus LS, which underwent minor changes in November 2020, we will unravel the essence of Lexus' car manufacturing that foretells the future of Lexus.

Pursuing individual comfort while being conscious of Lexus consistency

SUVs (sports utility vehicles) are a trend in the car world. Conventional sedans are a little worse off. However, many automakers consider sedans to be the poster child for their brands. For example, Lexus. In November 2020, improvements were made to the flagship model "Lexus LS" and the slightly compact sporty sedan "Lexus IS." When you ride it, you can feel that it has a lot of power.

A sedan is a car that is divided into an engine room, a passenger cabin, and a trunk room for luggage. There are also 3 boxes and 3 volumes. Once upon a time, cars meant sedans. But even taxis have two volumes these days. Even in the market, SUVs have a slight advantage.

But in reality, sedans have a lot of appeal. For example, silhouette. From the front nose to the rear end of the trunk, there is a line that can be described as flowing. Another thing is how easy it is to get on and off. Furthermore, the ride comfort that comes from the structure of the car body is also an important feature unique to sedans.

I think if you try the Lexus LS and the IS, you will understand the merits of sedans. One, as I mentioned earlier, is styling. The front mask features a grille that Lexus calls the Spindle Grille and sharply contoured headlamps, and the sportiness of the large wheels and taut body panels are well balanced between the elegant atmosphere brought about by the silhouette from front to rear. There is.

The other thing is how much fun it is to drive. Lexus staff is currently working on vehicle development under the slogan "Always On" advocated by President Tsuneharu Sato. This means never stopping to make improvements. A clear example of this would be the LS and IS. When you grab the steering wheel and start driving, it's clearly a "better car" than before. I thought it might be better to call it a new car rather than the word "improved".

The person behind the development is Yoichi Mizuno, who is the general manager of vehicle performance development. For Lexus vehicles, he is in charge of almost everything other than design in terms of car manufacturing, including everything from dynamic performance, including all aspects of driving, to body strength, and compliance with legal regulations such as safety equipment. ``As a Lexus brand, we put a lot of effort into improving the ride comfort and quietness of the LS, and with the IS we were conscious of the fact that it is a sports sedan,'' he says, explaining the background behind the latest improvements.

``Just as Porsche and Mercedes-Benz pursue characteristics of handling and ride comfort that are common to almost all of their models, Lexus determines the overall character and then creates the individuality of the LS for the LS. Furthermore, the standard model is designed for comfort, while the F SPORT grade is designed for responsiveness.

The person who says the above is Yuichi Iwata. As a product planning manager, he was responsible for minor changes to the LS.

``Previously, LS and IS were developed by separate teams, but now we are developing them with the words ``clean and deep'' at the core, so even though the characters of both LS and IS are slightly different, they are moving in a major direction. In terms of its characteristics, it should be a car that is unique to Lexus."

It would be no exaggeration to call the IS a complete model change, as it has made significant advances in interior and exterior as well as maneuverability. Mizuno mentioned earlier that he was very conscious of the fact that it was a sports sedan.

"With this big minor change, we were able to do exactly what we had wanted to do with the IS, and we were able to get closer to the concept of ``clean and deep.''With the IS, we were able to achieve a response that faithfully responds to the driver's intentions. We have pursued the best quality."

At IS, they thought, ``Let's take a hard look at basic aspects like ``suudon'' in development.'' For example, when turning the steering wheel. While focusing on the car's reaction when cutting into the car, surprisingly little attention was paid to how the car would behave when turning back. The same goes for the brake pedal, and even though the reaction when you press it was carefully crafted, it was a little unclear how much braking force would remain when you let up. Including these, the new IS has undergone modifications to the body framework to increase its rigidity, as well as reviewing welding methods and welding locations.

Engineers continue to passionately pursue the future of Lexus

One more thing. The development team adopted a part called a hub bolt. Used to attach the wheel with the tire attached to the hub carrier on the suspension side. In the past, connections were made using a stud bolt and a hub nut, so to speak, but now a hub bolt is required. Apparently, the effect was great.

``There are some German cars that use it.This reduces weight, significantly increases rigidity, and increases the responsiveness of the car body when you start turning the steering wheel (the speed at which the car body changes direction). Because it's a four-door sedan, we placed great importance on functionality for four people to ride with a full load of luggage, as well as for fun when driving alone.''

Nowadays, the public's expectations for electric vehicles are increasing along with the government's encouragement. Beyond hybrids that combine an engine and motor, there is a possibility that the need for battery-powered EVs will increase in the future. For Mizuno and Iwata, who happily talked about raising the power performance of engine cars (and hybrids) LS and IS to a high level, I wonder what the future holds for electric cars.

“BEVs (battery-powered EVs) are extremely welcome.BEVs can achieve clean power performance.By taking advantage of a motor with fast reaction speed and plenty of torque, it is possible to do things that gasoline cars and hybrid cars cannot do. For example, four-wheel control using four motors is a technology suitable for moving a car in accordance with the driver's intentions.I think BEVs will become a powerful family member for Lexus.

Listening to Mizuno's words, I realized that this is also an expression of the spirit of Always On, always moving forward. Although it is not certain when that time will come, the most important thing in realizing car manufacturing that will continue seamlessly from the present to the future is the concept, or in other words, the spirit of manufacturing.