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Lexus exec says he still fields complaints about the spindle grille

When Lexus debuted its spindle grille on the GS sedan and trademarked the design back in 2012, it was a sure sign the look was here to stay. It started making its way through the lineup, and now five model years later, it's on all Lexus vehicles. The one thing everyone can all agree on is, it's bold. And Lexus has doubled down on the design with the LF-1 Limitless Concept on display at the Detroit Auto Show. Some people surely think nothing of the grille. Others have equated it to a cartoon character, a beard trimmer, or a baleen whale scooping up krill. In one harsh, perhaps apocryphal criticism, a design professor is said to have likened the spindle to the mouth of the titular hunter-alien in the "Predator" movies. In a much more admiring spacefaring comparison, our Antti Kautonen said the grille of the LF-1 Limited Concept mimics a "Star Wars" ship's shift into hyperspace. That's a fitting analogy for the stunning and futuristic LF-1, which might be the single most dramatically styled vehicle at the North American International Auto Show. A couple of years ago, Toyota chief designer — and head of Lexus — Tokuo Fukuichi defended the spindle in a Reuters interview, saying "sexy" was a goal of the design, and dismissing complaints by saying, "Even polarizing designs, you get used to them after a while." That defense was "a while" — three years — after the new look caused an uproar at a 2012 Toyota stockholders' meeting, where some shareholders complained. Now it has been a while longer, and a Lexus executive says the spindle grille has continued to divide Lexus customers. Jeff Bracken, Lexus group vice president and general manager, told Carbuzz on the sidelines of the Detroit show last week that longtime repeat customers still can't get their heads around whatever it is the car seems to be getting its mouth around. "I'll be very transparent. It's our signature grille. Some of our models have a more expressive signature grille than others. The folks that look at it as somewhat polarizing would be, for the most part, the folks that have been with us since the beginning. In fact I'll take phone calls from some of these owners and will literally spend 45 minutes to an hour on the phone with me just expressing how disappointed they are," Bracken said. Bracken has actually been saying almost the exact same things about the grille for years — both to upset customers and to automotive journalists — for example, to Forbes in 2014.

New Lexus small CUV may have been behind moving ES production to Kentucky

Lexus may have had another big reason - in addition to the financial incentives potentially worth up to $146.5 million that Kentucky offered - to move ES production to its Georgetown, KY plant. The ES has always been built in Japan, and a report at TheDetroitBureau.com claims that the Kyushu facility will be tooling up to build a new model thought to be a compact hybrid crossover expected to go on sale next year. While ES300h production would remain in Japan, shedding 50,000 units of traditional ES production would free capacity for what many think will be an important model in the Lexus lineup.
The new CUV will come in below the RX and be built on the platform of the RAV4. Speculation is that there will be an NX200t and an NX300h, the former possibly getting the 2.0-liter turbo Toyota engine due in 2014 - matching the predicted timeline for the CUV and supposedly also meant for an RX200t - and latter getting the same 2.5-liter hybrid powertrain in the ES300h. We'll see a preview of the Audi Q3 and BMW X1 fighter at this year's Tokyo Motor Show; the production version should be unveiled at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show.

Toyota recalls pre-collision system on Avalon and ES models

Toyota is recalling 31,000 US examples of the 2013-2015 Avalon, Avalon Hybrid, Lexus ES350, and ES 300h because the Pre-Collision System could potentially cause an accident. According to the company, it's possible for the safety aid to misidentify a steel joint or plate in the road as a hazard and apply the brakes. The sudden, unexpected activation could lead to a crash. Toyota spokesperson Cindy Knight told Autoblog that the company has reports of two accidents in the US related to this issue, and there are also two alleged injuries. The company has no reports of fatalities. Toyota is taking a serious approach to deal with this problem. First, the company plans to disable the system on these sedans. Once the parts are available, dealers will replace the system with improved components. The company doesn't yet know when these repairs will begin, but owners should receive notification of the recall in November, according to Knight. Toyota isn't alone in needing to tweak safety equipment. Ford faced a similar issue when the company recalled 36,857 examples of the 2015 F-150 because passing a large, reflective semi could inadvertently activate the collision warning system. An update for the adaptive cruise control module software fixed the problem. TOYOTA RECALLS CERTAIN AVALON AND LEXUS ES VEHICLES TORRANCE, Calif., November 3, 2015 – Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Inc. today announced that it is conducting a safety recall of approximately 31,000 Model Year 2013-2015 Avalon, Avalon Hybrid, Lexus ES350 and ES300h sedans. In the involved vehicles, under certain situations, the PCS (Pre-Collision System) could interpret a steel joint or plate in the roadway as an object that triggers PCS activation. If this occurs, the PCS warning buzzer sounds and the system may apply the service brake automatically. Unexpected braking could increase the risk of a crash. For all involved vehicles, the PCS function will be disabled as an interim remedy. As the permanent remedy, Toyota dealers will replace PCS components with improved ones. Information about automotive recalls, including but not limited to the list of involved vehicles, is subject to change over time. For the most up-to-date Safety Recall information on Toyota, Lexus or Scion vehicles, customers should check their vehicle's status by visiting toyota.com/recall and entering the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN). Safety Recall inquiry by individual VIN is also available at the NHTSA site: safercar.gov/vin.