Automobile Magazine has some great quotes about the LF-Gh from Simon Humphries, General Manager of Lexus (& Toyota) Global Design — here’s a sampling:
On the general design theme:
“The LF-Gh was designed in [our Lexus studio in Japan]. The current state of the auto market is that everything is becoming complex and overstyled. With the LF-Gh, we wanted to make something that was fundamentally simple and strong.”On the already-controversial grille:
“The lower aperture of the grille, we’ve found, is a much better place for air intake, much more efficient, than higher up. From the CT model onwards, the upper grille has lost its functionality. It’s now symbolism. This front face identity will definitely be carried forward into all vehicles, including the next LS.”
I did have a chance to meet Simon Humphries at the NY Autoshow, and while I was too fired up to consider doing a proper interview, he did touch on a lot of the same points — one thing that really struck me was his explanation of the LF-Gh’s strong & simple side profile lines, and how they’re a move against what other car manufacturers are doing. I thought this was a tremendous insight — not only does it reflect a strong Japanese reductionist design philosophy, it also sets some very general expectations of what Lexus is trying to achieve with the LF-Gh and the next generation of Lexus design.
There’s a couple of must-read quotes over at Automobile Magazine — I strongly recommend taking at the rest of the interview.
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