The news that Akio Toyoda is leaving his position as the president of Toyota can only be good news for Lexus enthusiasts.


There was plenty of excitement when Toyoda took over as Toyota president and steward of Lexus. Akio was the driving force behind the LFA, and it was assumed his passion for the supercar would put the Lexus brand on the upper trajectory. The first Lexus to debut under his leadership seemed to prove the point, as he personally revealed the fourth-generation GS sedan at an event in Pebble Beach. This was a monumental launch, in that it debuted the spindle grille design that would quickly proliferate throughout the lineup -- over the course of XX months, Lexus remade each model with an interpretation of the hourglass front-end. 

The GS was followed by the third-generation IS sedan, and both were initially competitive in North America despite the carryover 2GR V6 powertrain. The RC coupe soon followed with its own RC F high-performance variant, and the 2014 LF-LC concept created a noticable excitement around Lexus.





an assortment of brand initiatives -- the debut of the Intersect nightclub in Tokyo, the commercial featuring a giant wooden marionette love story,