New Lexus GS will lead model push

The latest Lexus GS leads the way, as well as the style direction, for a brand that has been personally tweaked by the very top man at Toyota. Akio Toyoda, grandson of the company founder and a keen amateur racer, says he planned to cull the GS before forcing a massive change for a car that now carries his personal fingerprints.

"Initially, I did not want to proceed with this project. I told our engineers that we are not moving ahead unless we do it right from the start," says Toyoda, speaking at the global GS preview in the USA. The car had to be improved much more. It needed to be designed, engineered and manufactured without compromise."

The result - proven by an exclusive Carsguide preview drive in Los Angeles - is a car that has lost the fuddy-duddy feel of the previous GS and is much more likely to be shopped against a 5-Series BMW.

We cannot be sure until it reaches Australia, but it reflects some fresh thinking and track work at the Nurburgring - including hot laps by Toyoda. He says the GS previews a range of changes at Lexus, from the new family grille for the upscale brand to more emphasis on driving enjoyment.

"Our vision is that Lexus becomes the best, not the biggest," Toyoda says. "Simply put, we have internationalized Lexus. In fact, Lexus is leading the way in how the entire Toyota Motor Corporation should operate. "There are no extra layers, this new division reports directly to me and I have given them autonomy over business decisions. This allows the team to react quicker to customers' needs and desires. This internal process is unique from any other division at TMC and I am very pleased with this new direction."

Toyoda says the new nose on the GS - officially the 'spindle grille' but more like Darth Vader's helmet - will migrate quickly to the rest of the range. "It had to be bolder, stronger, and more confident," he says. "And this is just the beginning. Next year, Lexus will launch nine new or updated vehicles. And we have many more in development.