Tokyo show: Lexus promises 'daring' concept

THE next chapter in Toyota president Akio Toyoda’s transformation of Lexus will be revealed at the Tokyo motor show on Wednesday when a “daring new concept vehicle” will be rolled on to the Lexus stand alongside the new RX SUV and updated GS large sedan.

While media speculation for the vehicle ranges from a preview of the next-generation LS limo to a new fuel-cell car, all we know for sure is that Lexus is claiming the vehicle will reveal the company’s vision of “progressive luxury”.

Progressive luxury is Lexus’s description of its own design style that aims to engage customers with its blend of “enriching, intelligent and innovative design” with “socially and environmentally responsible solutions”.

A teaser photo released today gives little away, except for what appears to be a new take on daytime driving lights in the three-piece headlamp cluster.

Current Lexus vehicles feature a boomerang-shaped daytime running light under each headlight, but the concept here seems to have separate daytime LED lights under each of the three lamps in each cluster.

The side of the bonnet appears to finish at a sharp crease along the mudguard.

It is unclear if the familiar “spindle grille” has been retained in this concept, with only the metallic surround visible.

Whatever it is, we can be sure that Mr Toyoda has taken a personal interest in its development. The grandson of Toyota Motor Corporation founder Kiichiro Toyoda, Mr Toyoda has made Lexus his personal mission, taking a hands-on approach to the development of new models in an effort to inject more emotion into the brand.

Lexus is celebrating the 25th anniversary of its birth as Toyota’s rival for the likes of Mercedes-Benz and BMW.

The first Lexus model was the LS limo, launched in 1989, which could add some credence to speculation that the Tokyo show concept will foreshadow the fifth-generation LS that is expected in the second half of 2016.