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Lexus LF-Gh challenges Benz, BMW

"The front face is a big leap in terms of expression and boldness," says the global design boss for Lexus, Simon Humphries.

A Vader helmet seems to being exploding through the nose of the LF-Gh concept car that appears at the New York auto show and also previews a new design direction for the Japanese luxury brand.

Lexus cars have always been plain and simple, but now the company says  it's time to get aggressive as it shifts into the next step of its plan to challenge Benz and BMW .

"The front face is a big leap for us in terms of expression and  boldness," the global design boss for Lexus, Simon Humphries, tells  Carsguide in New York. He says the official name of the grille shape is bi-conic, but it's also known as the spindle and the hourglass. "We call it a spindle. Although it's proper name is b-conic," he says.

Regardless of its name, and Darth car also works for Carsguide, the nose is just part of a push that will quickly transform the LF-Gh from a motor show tease into the next mid-sized Lexus GS. Lexus has deliberately shielded any technical detail on the concept  car, short of basic dimensions that place it closely alongside the current GS. There is nothing concrete on its powerplant or drive system, not even the size of any petrol engine in the nose. The mechanical detail is expected later in the year, leaving the Big Apple appearance to focus on the body design. Even the car's cabin,  which is claimed to put a much stronger focus on the driver, is deliberately shielded with super-dark tinting on the windows.

Humphries says the LF-Gh is a turning point for Lexus as it looks for  a new direction. "America is a big thing for Lexus. From a design perspective, we're reaching a tipping point in design," he says. "This car, for us, is a significant shift. It's back to a more  fundamental simplicity. It's very pure." He points to everything from the smooth sides of the body to the clean-and-simple sweep over the boot at the back end, the steeply-raked   windscreen and even the 20-inch alloy wheels.

But Humphries always comes back to the nose, and the new Lexus 'face'. Just like Audi and Mercedes-Benz and so many others, his brand is finding its new look and the concept style will be quickly moved into  the rest of the showroom.

"What we're going to do is start implementing this as soon as possible. You will see it within a year or so," Humphries says. "You can already see it in the CT200. The outline is already there." He will not be drawn on lines between the concept car and the next GS,  but promises something much more aggressive today and into the future. "You're going to have to wait and see what happens with the production version (of the GS). We plan to take the grille throughout the lineup, in basically a similar form."