As part of their Goodwood Festival of Speed coverage, Lexus UK has a new interview with LC chief engineer Koji Sato — here are some highlights:
Blog: You have likened the development of the LC to that of the original LS in its attention to detail. In what ways can we experience that for ourselves?
Sato-san: We spent three months modifying and tuning the surface treatment of the exterior design. It’s unique and has design details that make a big difference to your emotional link and feelings toward the car. These may seem small but they make an important impression. It’s all about great design with great engineering behind it; beauty with functionality. Such a close collaboration between designers and engineers is the new development style for future Lexus models.
Blog: Thinking about that new GA-L platform, was this created before the LC or at the same time?
Sato-san: Actually, the platform development began slightly before the development of the LC. But we understood from the beginning that the platform and car would be based on the LF-LC concept, so you could say that they were both developed together. In this way we were able to concentrate on design and performance at the same time.
Blog: We’re told that the GA-L platform will be used in other future models, so does that mean you had to develop the platform with these unannounced cars in mind as well?
Sato-san: That’s the point. The LC uses the new FR [front engine, rear-wheel drive] platform, so it is not going to be unique to this car. It will be used for all future FR Lexus models. So you can imagine that if the platform can meet the performance of the LC, it will help us elevate future models like the LS or GS.
(It’s an extensive interview with plenty of new detail — definitely worth visiting the Lexus UK blog to read the entire article.)