Given what Toyota has in mind for its upscale Lexus division in the next few years, this is sort of a first look at the last new product from the old iteration of the marque.
After being primarily a North American brand for almost 15 years, Lexus is going global and changing its product design direction as a result.
What does not seem to be changing is the regard in which Lexus holds its own ability to build great cars, or its confidence that it knows what luxury car buyers want, or its ambition. ''We have big goals for Lexus,'' proclaimed Takeshi Yoshido, the managing officer for the Lexus Development Centre, in a presentation to some Canadian auto writers earlier this year, ''and the global launch of Lexus is a big step forward for our luxury brand.''
This growth of Lexus will of course depend on the brand's famous ''relentless pursuit of perfection,'' said Yoshido, in which ''we will continue our outstanding attention to detail, and ensure that our quality leadership is superior to our competitors at every stage: design, production, and service.''
The design of the future products will ''anticipate all of the consumer's needs and desires,'' Yoshido promised, since ''we want owners to feel the prestige and distinction of owing and driving a Lexus vehicle.''
Luxury in a car is ''more than a statement of wealth, status or ownership,'' Yoshido said. ''It is about an experience.''
Lexus delivers luxury that ''helps you make the most of every moment,'' Yoshido stressed. ''Lexus always values our customers' time. Lexus strives to improve quality of life, by allowing customers to spend their time in the most meaningful way possible.''
In Yoshido's view, ''luxury now means more than the possession of things you acquire. It is also about savoring time. It is important for Lexus to meet the needs of these customers and embrace those for whom internal values are central to personal enjoyment.''
Lexus will accomplish this by embracing the L-Finesse design direction. According to Yoshido, L-Finesse involves ''seamless anticipation, intriguing elegance, and incisive simplicity.''
L-Finesse is about leading the field in ''bold, dynamic design, perfection and simplicity, and user-center design.''
But it's also about finesse, Yoshido said, which is ''unpretentious and sophisticated, elegant and artistic, and personal and caring.''
The world will be allowed to see how all these things are turned into sheet metal very shortly, as Lexus rolls on new GS and IS models at upcoming auto shows.
Until then, buyers will have to content themselves with the current state of the ''relentless pursuit of perfection'' as evidenced by the latest iteration of the GX 470 sport-utility vehicle.
To the trained observer, we might seem late in bringing you this First Look on the GX 470, since the car actually debuted in Canada earlier this year. But that pursuit of excellence is, after all, relentless, so this is the revised GX 470 we're talking about.
When the GX 470 launched, says Toyota Canada modestly, it ''gained the immediate respect of Canadian drivers with an arsenal of dynamic handling technology. In fact, it's one of the most capable vehicles in its category, on- or off-road.''
The 2005 GX 470 has an MSRP of $67,700, though models equipped with the Ultra Premium package retail for $74,000.
After being primarily a North American brand for almost 15 years, Lexus is going global and changing its product design direction as a result.
What does not seem to be changing is the regard in which Lexus holds its own ability to build great cars, or its confidence that it knows what luxury car buyers want, or its ambition. ''We have big goals for Lexus,'' proclaimed Takeshi Yoshido, the managing officer for the Lexus Development Centre, in a presentation to some Canadian auto writers earlier this year, ''and the global launch of Lexus is a big step forward for our luxury brand.''
This growth of Lexus will of course depend on the brand's famous ''relentless pursuit of perfection,'' said Yoshido, in which ''we will continue our outstanding attention to detail, and ensure that our quality leadership is superior to our competitors at every stage: design, production, and service.''
The design of the future products will ''anticipate all of the consumer's needs and desires,'' Yoshido promised, since ''we want owners to feel the prestige and distinction of owing and driving a Lexus vehicle.''
Luxury in a car is ''more than a statement of wealth, status or ownership,'' Yoshido said. ''It is about an experience.''
Lexus delivers luxury that ''helps you make the most of every moment,'' Yoshido stressed. ''Lexus always values our customers' time. Lexus strives to improve quality of life, by allowing customers to spend their time in the most meaningful way possible.''
In Yoshido's view, ''luxury now means more than the possession of things you acquire. It is also about savoring time. It is important for Lexus to meet the needs of these customers and embrace those for whom internal values are central to personal enjoyment.''
Lexus will accomplish this by embracing the L-Finesse design direction. According to Yoshido, L-Finesse involves ''seamless anticipation, intriguing elegance, and incisive simplicity.''
L-Finesse is about leading the field in ''bold, dynamic design, perfection and simplicity, and user-center design.''
But it's also about finesse, Yoshido said, which is ''unpretentious and sophisticated, elegant and artistic, and personal and caring.''
The world will be allowed to see how all these things are turned into sheet metal very shortly, as Lexus rolls on new GS and IS models at upcoming auto shows.
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To the trained observer, we might seem late in bringing you this First Look on the GX 470, since the car actually debuted in Canada earlier this year. But that pursuit of excellence is, after all, relentless, so this is the revised GX 470 we're talking about.
When the GX 470 launched, says Toyota Canada modestly, it ''gained the immediate respect of Canadian drivers with an arsenal of dynamic handling technology. In fact, it's one of the most capable vehicles in its category, on- or off-road.''
The 2005 GX 470 has an MSRP of $67,700, though models equipped with the Ultra Premium package retail for $74,000.