Motor Trend Interviews Lexus UX Chief Engineer Chika Kako

Posted by Kevin on March 12th, 2018

Motor Trend has an interview with Chika Kako, Lexus International executive vice-president and the chief engineer of the new UX:

Motor Trend: What vehicles did you benchmark?

Chika Kako: As a crossover we checked of course, BMW X1, Mercedes-Benz GLA, [and] Audi Q3. We also [checked the] Audi A3, Mercedes-Benz A-Class, and BMW 1 Series. If we look at the market here right now, BMW X2 is coming, our package is quite close.

MT: UX rides on the Lexus GA-C. What is the GA-C and TNGA?

CK: At Lexus GA-C is our global architecture “C-platform” and it’s the same TNGA platform as CH-R, Auris, and of course, Prius. It’s a common (shared) platform, however, because the basis already provides good noise and vibration levels, as well as drivability and rigidity, we were able to further expand and enhance from what we had as a baseline.

There are several things we have done [at Lexus for UX]. We have made center of gravity lower, we are using aluminum doors, fender and foot panels, and the [liftgate] is a resin door with aluminum reinforcement. These changes make the center of gravity lower. Body rigidity is also reinforced by using laser screw welding and body adhesives in the structure. This makes the body more rigid and handling response better.

There’s some detail into how the Lexus UX design factors in aerodynamics:

MT: The taillights on the UX are very striking. Can you talk about the design?

CK: The appearance is quite unique, but it serves an aerodynamic function and is inspired by the rear wing of a race car. Our designers and engineers collaborated on the question, “How can we modify the shape and stabilize the airflow?“

It’s about letting the airflow be smoothed out, rather than the air wrapping around behind the car creating different pressure zones. That kind of thinking was also applied on the fender edge molding. If you look at the car, there is quite a unique shape to the fender. The upper portion is quite straight, but the back edge is abrupt. This is really for the aerodynamics.

Kako also confirmed that that fender molding will only be available in black, and that the UX will be manufactured at the Kyushu factory in Japan. The on-sale date is October in Europe and December for North America.

Lexus UX: First Generation
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Comments
Benito
That is a pretty horrible rendering, the proportions are especially bad around the C pillar.
S
proportions are weird because it is going to be weird... but real pics look very muscular there, so I think it has a chance to look really something special
S
View attachment 2628
Joaquin Ruhi
@krew: While production UX, LC F and LS F are strong possibilities for a 2018 Detroit Auto Show debut, I remain deeply skeptical that 7ES will debut there. I'm still convinced that 7ES will make its world debut at the 2018 New York Auto Show (press days 28-29 March 2018), with Auto China in Beijing a month later (press days 25–26 April 2018) unveiling the smaller-engined not-for-North America versions.

As to those UX renderings, I like the front but it all goes quickly downhill after that. Here's hoping those renderings aren't too accurate...
E
View attachment 2630 View attachment 2631 View attachment 2633 View attachment 2634 View attachment 2635 View attachment 2636 View attachment 2637 View attachment 2639 View attachment 2640 View attachment 2630

Possible early stage mule for the Lexus UX?? It says Prius V, but that's probably because of the Prius front end. This is the second time I see a Prius front on a mule and my guess is that they are testing a hybrid version of the car. I see a Lexus NX back end on the mule, and the ride height also suggest a SUV.
S
That's Prius SUV, it is larger than UX.
meth.ix
Prius VX?
D
  • D
    DDas
  • November 11, 2017
Enginious
View attachment 2630 View attachment 2631 View attachment 2633 View attachment 2634 View attachment 2635 View attachment 2636 View attachment 2637 View attachment 2639 View attachment 2640 View attachment 2630

Possible early stage mule for the Lexus UX?? It says Prius V, but that's probably because of the Prius front end. This is the second time I see a Prius front on a mule and my guess is that they are testing a hybrid version of the car. I see a Lexus NX back end on the mule, and the ride height also suggest a SUV.
This confused me so much lol. I can see why people are calling it the Prius V, but why not use the Rav4 to show it's a Toyota? It's gotta be the very early stages of the UX because of the Lexus body. I know my reasoning may be dumb or flawed, but it just doesn't make sense for them to go out of their way and use a Lexus for a future Toyota model when there's a same size vehicle - Rav4 - already available. So maybe this UX hybrid will just have the same engine as the Prius.

EDIT: Looking at it more I definitely think this is a Lexus. The rear end - with the license plate slot lower - resembles the UX Concept a lot. Anyways, we'll see!
E
View attachment 2641 View attachment 2642 View attachment 2643 View attachment 2644 View attachment 2645 View attachment 2646 View attachment 2647 View attachment 2648 The rear is definitely Lexus NX, look at the tail lights. This is probably a first stage mule. Look at the bottom of the side fender and front door, they aren't aligned.
The UX will mostly end up with the current gen Prius drivetrain, just like the CT having the previous gen Prius drivetrain.
A first stage mule always looks like a freak show. Remember the frs/86/brz mules? Or 5 gen LS mules? Or the upcoming Auris/corolla iM? First mules are very different from the final ones.
OlFius
Enginious
View attachment 2641 View attachment 2642 View attachment 2643 View attachment 2644 View attachment 2645 View attachment 2646 View attachment 2647 View attachment 2648 The rear is definitely Lexus NX, look at the tail lights. This is probably a first stage mule. Look at the bottom of the side fender and front door, they aren't aligned.
The UX will mostly end up with the current gen Prius drivetrain, just like the CT having the previous gen Prius drivetrain.
A first stage mule always looks like a freak show. Remember the frs/86/brz mules? Or 5 gen LS mules? Or the upcoming Auris/corolla iM? First mules are very different from the final ones.
What is certain is the license plate, this is a very recent Belgian license plate.
And Toyota has a (test) center in Brussels...
Joaquin Ruhi
OlFius
What is certain is the license plate, this is a very recent Belgian license plate.
And Toyota has a (test) center in Brussels...
With all due respect, I'm not so sure about the license plate being Belgian (although you're certainly right about Toyota's R&D test center in Zaventem near Brussels). The vast majority of Toyota and Lexus prototypes spotted in Europe have those DAU license plates. That first came to my attention in May 2008, when a 2nd-gen Lexus IS was spotted on the Nürburgring in Germany. In a my.IS article I wrote then ( http://my.is/forums/f41/just-what-secrets-dau-0683-hiding-360928/ ), I noted that
The license plate itself merely indicates that the car is registered in the municipality of Daun, in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate (or Rheinland-Pfalz in German). The red numbers on a white background, and the fact that the number starts with 06, denote that this Lexus bears dealer plates commonly used for unregistered cars going on test drives.
OlFius
Joaquin Ruhi
With all due respect, I'm not so sure about the license plate being Belgian (although you're certainly right about Toyota's R&D test center in Zaventem near Brussels). The vast majority of Toyota and Lexus prototypes spotted in Europe have those DAU license plates. That first came to my attention in May 2008, when a 2nd-gen Lexus IS was spotted on the Nürburgring in Germany. In a my.IS article I wrote then ( http://my.is/forums/f41/just-what-secrets-dau-0683-hiding-360928/ ), I noted that
OK, but I was talking about the last 2 pictures, the black mule, where the license plate starts with 'B' and then '1 - Txx - xxx'.
This is clearly a Belgian license plate. Since a couple of months, all the new license plates start with a 1 - T...
S
I am not sure what are you guys trying to convey :).

It is Prius SUV... like Prius SUV. Toyota will slot additional SUV between C-HR and Rav4, and it will be... Prius SUV.
Reason it has Prius front-end is because it will be ... Prius! It looks like finished designe vehicle.

Last pic (above) is new Auris, ie Corolla iM.
S
Joaquin Ruhi
With all due respect, I'm not so sure about the license plate being Belgian (although you're certainly right about Toyota's R&D test center in Zaventem near Brussels). The vast majority of Toyota and Lexus prototypes spotted in Europe have those DAU license plates. That first came to my attention in May 2008, when a 2nd-gen Lexus IS was spotted on the Nürburgring in Germany. In a my.IS article I wrote then ( http://my.is/forums/f41/just-what-secrets-dau-0683-hiding-360928/ ), I noted that
It says B for Belgium. German would say D for Deutschland.

And of course it is because it is tested in their R&D center.
S
p.s. they get different test plates depending where they drive it.
Joaquin Ruhi
OlFius
OK, but I was talking about the last 2 pictures, the black mule, where the license plate starts with 'B' and then '1 - Txx - xxx'.
This is clearly a Belgian license plate. Since a couple of months, all the new license plates start with a 1 - T...
Ok, I see what you mean. Although the majority of the Toyota/Lexus prototypes have the DAU German plates, the Auris in the last two photos is clearly an exception. Thanks for pointing that out.
mikeavelli
Hybrid only I wonder?
Joaquin Ruhi
mikeavelli
Hybrid only I wonder?
Not if the trademarks filed in both the U.S. and China are anything to go by. They are UX 200, UX 250 and UX 250h.
krew
mikeavelli
Hybrid only I wonder?
I think Lexus learned from their mistake with the CT. If they had introduced a gas version, I bet that car would still be in North America.
krew
krew [​IMG]

"Geneva 2018 will be very important for Lexus."
View the original article post
S
just spent few hrs behind C-HR Hybrid, and cant to see what will UX version be like.
C-HR already drives well... I expect UX to solve issue with "weak" powertrain and also be a lot quieter... otherwise C-HR is very nice already, interior is quite premium as it is.
OlFius
The fact that the UX makes its debut in Europe seems logical to me.
It should have happened a few years earlier, the competition is very big in the meantime, but we are in good expectation.
And where and when will the ES get its debut? Rarara...
krew
spwolf
just spent few hrs behind C-HR Hybrid, and cant to see what will UX version be like.
C-HR already drives well... I expect UX to solve issue with "weak" powertrain and also be a lot quieter... otherwise C-HR is very nice already, interior is quite premium as it is.
I think it's time for a new engine, honestly. UX would be a great time to introduce a second powertrain. The UX 200, UX 250, UX 250h -- if these trademarks are accurate, Lexus will be getting three new engine options. UX 250h seems most significant to me, though the 250 could be interesting as well.
S
krew
I think it's time for a new engine, honestly. UX would be a great time to introduce a second powertrain. The UX 200, UX 250, UX 250h -- if these trademarks are accurate, Lexus will be getting three new engine options. UX 250h seems most significant to me, though the 250 could be interesting as well.
Toyota Europe already announced that all of the hybrids in Europe will get 2 hybrid powertrains - so one for base, and one for sportier option.
And we have many... Yaris, Auris, C-HR, Rav4 currently... so I suspect that it will come with UX and C-HR, maybe C-HR will get UX200h powertrain and UX250h will get even stronger version.

C-HR is "fast enough" until 80 mph, but for serious autobahn driving it needs more oomph. With larger engine and 50 hp more it would also generate less noise since it would not have to be at WOT all the time.
Tragic Bronson
spwolf
just spent few hrs behind C-HR Hybrid, and cant to see what will UX version be like.
C-HR already drives well... I expect UX to solve issue with "weak" powertrain and also be a lot quieter... otherwise C-HR is very nice already, interior is quite premium as it is.
The US version isn't premium :thumbsdown:Our powertrain is too anemic to take advantage of its good suspension tuning. But hey, it looks good and is a crossover, so easy sale for Toyota : unamused:
S
Tragic Bronson
The US version isn't premium :thumbsdown:Our powertrain is too anemic to take advantage of its good suspension tuning. But hey, it looks good and is a crossover, so easy sale for Toyota : unamused:
interior is certainly premium though... it has better materials than rav4 even though it is not as well as equipped as in Europe, base models are also fine.
Joaquin Ruhi
After reading the full motor.es article and doing some additional digging around, I have a few comments:

- With a bit over 3 months to go before the 2018 Geneva Motor Show, their official site ( https://www.gims.swiss/en/ ) is still pretty bare-bones. It does confirm, however, that the show opens to the public on Thursday 8 March. Thus, that "6 de marzo 2018" (Tuesday 6 March 2018) date surely corresponds to the first of 2 press days.

- Spain is expected to offer UX exclusively as a non-plug-in hybrid, while other markets (such as the U.S.) will offer non-hybrid powertrains. This is, of course, old news, as is the fact that it is derived from the Toyota C-HR.

- Motor.es predicts an on-sale date sometime during the second half of 2018, and they cite Japanese reports predicting an October 2018 on-sale date there.

- The article also includes this image of Lexus Spain's "100% Hybrid" lineup, which aligns Coupes, Berlinas/Compacto (sedans/compacts) and SUVs by ascending Precio (price).



Of note is the fact that it refers to the 3-row RX as RX+, rather than RX L. Will Lexus Spain (and, perhaps, other markets as well) use this different badge for RX L? It would certainly follow the European naming protocol for the 3-row Toyota Prius wagon, which wears the Prius+ badge in most European countries. 7 plazas simply means 7-seater. And that also makes me wonder if Lexus will drop the 2-row RX in Spain and perhaps other Euro markets. Finally, it seems that the higher placement of the "RX + 7 plazas" dot vs the GS dot implies a higher European price for RX+/RX L vs base GS models.
Gecko
If "UX 250" is packing the Camry's new 203/206hp I4, that would be a great engine for a sub-compact CUV. That's a lot of engine for something so small and would be great upper level engine choice over a theoretical "200."
S
Gecko
If "UX 250" is packing the Camry's new 203/206hp I4, that would be a great engine for a sub-compact CUV. That's a lot of engine for something so small and would be great upper level engine choice over a theoretical "200."
One fact that really strikes me is that the C-HR already weighs 1,500kg/3,300lbs, which is why the 122hp hybrid and 144hp 2.0 are both painfully slow. I thought a UX250 would be dashing quick given its size, but we shouldn't really expect something much faster than the RAV4 (or the Camry). TMC needs to watch the diet of its cars!
Gecko
ssun30
TMC needs to watch the diet of its cars!
I keep saying this and everyone tells me I'm wrong... but yes. A lot of these newer products, aside from Camry, are a few hundred pounds too heavy.

G