Lexus is building a new global headquarters in the mountains outside Toyota City in Japan, consolidating the brand’s development teams for the first time ever. From Automotive News:
“This is a next chapter initiative to improve the vehicle fundamentals, sharpen the Lexus Driving Signature and evolve design in harmony with functionality,” Lexus President Koji Sato told Automotive News about the new undertaking. “The core value is how to design and create cars that generate a desire among people to own that vehicle.”
For the first time, everyone involved with devising, developing, designing and deploying Lexus vehicles will be under the same roof, right next to their testing facilities and garages — from designers and engineers to purchasing, production and sales management, and even technicians sent by suppliers.
The Lexus buildings will be part of the 1,600-acre Shimoyama Technical Center built by Toyota, which includes a test track based on the Nürburgring in Germany.
“The more you test drive, the more issues you capture,” said Sato. “The test course has very precisely calculated road conditions. You can get a lot of feedback.”
“Now, whenever we want to drive, we have to go to a different building,” said Lexus global design chief Koichi Suga. “But when we move to Shimoyama, we just go downstairs to the garage. It’s great for car development.”
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