Love it or hate it – and I know more than a handful of people who openly hate the subject – the Lexus spindle grille has become a central point of the automaker’s design. In fact, it’s been around for 10 years now, first seen in the LF-Gh concept that debuted in 2011.
The following year, Lexus introduced the GS executive sedan, which was heavily based on the concept shown in New York. This is the birth point of the polarizing spindle lattice.
Since then, Lexus has continued to adapt the spindle in various shapes per vehicle, with different mesh patterns, dimensions, and finishes.
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“You should be able to identify the car as a Lexus immediately… Instant visual recognition, for example, is the reason behind our spindle grille. At first glance it may look aggressive, it’s intentional, but it also conveys its boldness with sophistication and elegance,” says Kiyotake. Ise, who was then the head of Lexus during the spindle grille debut.
Lexus then used the spindle grille for a variety of design projects outside of street cars. Main is the futuristic Skyjet spaceship in Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets. It was also adopted as a design motif at the Loft, Lexus and Brussels Airlines’ award-winning lounge at Brussels Airport.
Lexus recognizes that the axis is polarized, but emphasizes that it will continue to evolve. In fact, this has been done by applying the spindle shape to become an integral part of the overall vehicle design. Called the “axle body”, the Japanese brand has given us a glimpse of the evolution of the axle in the new Lexus RX crossover.
This was later applied to the Lexus RZ 450e, the automaker’s first battery electric vehicle. Without the need for intensive cooling, Lexus designers were given the opportunity to interpret the shape of the spindle into the overall body design.
