Lexus held the world premiere of the new Lexus IS online
today.
Ever since the debut of its first generation in 1999, the IS has
pursued the fun of driving unique to compact rear-wheel-drive
sports sedans. Along with being a car that has built Lexus driving
performance by serving like a whetstone for fine-tuning the driving
sense of drivers, the IS has earned popularity through its
high-level driving performance, as well as through its sporty
styling, selling an approximate cumulative total of 1.09 million
units(1) over a span of more than 20 years.
As its unique value, Lexus pursues linear operation that is
faithful to driver's intentions, such as in the seamless transition
from deceleration to steering and acceleration during cornering, in
all types of driving situations. We call this the "Lexus Driving
Signature", and this will be the new development standard every
Lexus model will reflect moving forward. In order to strengthen
this driving performance, IS was thoroughly tested and honed at
various places throughout the world, including the new Toyota
Technical Center Shimoyama which opened in 2019. Uncompromising
attention to detail has resulted in drivers of the new IS being
able to enjoy a comfortable driving sensation even in everyday
driving situations. In terms of styling, to achieve an aggressive
design, efforts were made to create a wide and low form, while a
high-precision stamping technology brought to life a shape
characterized by sharpness. Furthermore, the IS features assertive
application of advanced safety technologies, including an evolved
version of Lexus Safety System+.
Lexus International Chief Engineer Naoki Kobayashi
"What we had foremost in mind in developing the new IS was to make
it a car that excelled in communicating with the driver and, as a
car with wide latitude for providing such, would never fail in
doing so, regardless of the road conditions or driving status.
Toward achieving this, we retained the compact body that had been
well received, and, with our team united, we endeavored to bring
such to maturity by developing the new IS on a new test course. We
aimed to make the new IS a Lexus compact sports sedan that provides
high-quality riding comfort while offering a high level of vehicle
control. We wanted it to be a car that enables people to make new
discoveries, such as the discovery that the longer the new IS is
driven the more one can experience the fun of driving. And we
wanted it to be a car that enables people to feel the aspirations
of those who created it."
Main Features of the New IS
Superb maneuverability and riding comfort honed at Toyota Technical
Center Shimoyama
Lexus International Takumi Yoshiaki Ito
"With an aim to pursue the fun of driving, and based on the
philosophy that 'roads make cars', we brought the new IS to life by
thoroughly driving it in harsh environments, including at Toyota
Technical Center Shimoyama, which opened in 2019. We paid
particular attention to aesthetic and emotional values, which
cannot be measured using numbers alone, so as to pursue linear
operation that is faithful to driver intention, such as during
successive driving operations and in terms of driving rhythm. In
creating the desired driving sensation, we examined elements of
impurity, such as unpleasant vibrations and noises, from every
possible direction, and we thoroughly investigated and eliminated
their causes, returning to the basics so that we could evolve a
comfortable driving sensation."
Toyota Technical Center Shimoyama
Toyota Technical Center Shimoyama, which opened in April 2019, is a
vehicle research and development facility in the Shimoyama area of
Toyota City in Japan's Aichi Prefecture. Its currently in-operation
country road test course is based on Lexus's many years of
experience of driving on the Nurburgring Nordschleife, famous
throughout the world for its grueling driving conditions. The
approximately 5.3-kilometer country road test course was designed
to take advantage of the local topography. It features a roughly
75-meter change in elevation, a wide range of curves and corners,
and various types of road surfaces. Repeatedly putting both the car
and the engineers to the test daily in this severe driving
environment enabled building in an ever-higher dimension of vehicle
performance.
Based on test-drive results, thorough tuning was conducted for
various road conditions and driving situations to improve elements
such as instantaneous responsiveness to driver input and the
suppression of unnecessary movement in sprung mass. Furthermore,
not only the early response of steering and pedal application but
also improvement of controllability upon "returning to center"
makes successive driving operations smoother.
In the hybrid version, control of the generation of driving force
in relation to accelerator input has been updated in pursuit of
even-sportier driving.
The 2.0-liter turbo version features adaptive transmission control
that evaluates the driving environment based on factors such as the
depression of the accelerator by the driver, and selects the
most-appropriate gear for each driving situation, achieving linear
response to accelerator operation and driver intention.
Body rigidity was enhanced by, among others, reinforcing radiator
side supports, increasing the number of front-side-member weld
points, and optimizing structures from the C-pillars to the sides
of the roof. This has resulted in the complete elimination of
unwanted noise and vibration and improved riding comfort, as well
as in improvement of driving performance, such as in the form of
response to steering wheel operation.
New-design 19-inch tires broadly improve cornering(2) performance.
Additionally, hub bolts are used to fasten the wheels, resulting in
handling and braking that provide a good sensation due to increased
fastening strength and reduced mass.
Swing-valve shock absorbers have been employed and are equipped
with ultralow-velocity valves in their pistons that manage oil flow
in response to the most minor of road irregularities and that
generate appropriate damping force. Even when the stroke speed of
the shock absorbers is low, appropriate damping force will be
exerted, providing excellent responsiveness on all varieties of
road surfaces, resulting in ride quality that is consistently
even.
Active Sound Control(4) enhances comfort and quietness during urban
driving and delivers a powerful engine sound that creates a sense
of driver-vehicle oneness in situations suited to enjoying
aggressive driving.
(1) As of April 30, 2020, according to a Lexus survey
(2) Lateral force on a tire during turning, perpendicular to the
direction of travel of the tire
(3) SmartDeviceLinkTM is a registered trademark of the
SmartDeviceLink Consortium, Inc.
(4) Apple, Apple CarPlay, and iPhone are trademarks of Apple Inc.,
registered in the U.S. and other countries
For more information, visit
https://global.toyota/en/newsroom/lexus/32665271.html.
Source: LEXUS
Copyright 2020 JCN Newswire . All rights reserved.
Toyota Motor (NYSE:TM)
Historical Stock Chart
From Mar 2024 to Apr 2024
Toyota Motor (NYSE:TM)
Historical Stock Chart
From Apr 2023 to Apr 2024