Is Akio Toyoda the Steve Jobs of the auto industry ?

"El Relámpago(LZone) - Humanity First!" (lightningzone) 09/25/2013 at 15:06 • Filed to: None

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TOYOTA CITY, Japan — Four years before taking the helm of Toyota Motor Corp. in 2009, Akio Toyoda began quietly studying auto design under a veteran stylist at the carmaker's dome-roofed creative studio here.

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Toyoda is especially attuned to such first impressions. He even has a special name for it: the "foretaste" of a car.

After pouring years into performance-driving lessons to get a better understanding of handling, Toyoda has trained his sights on design. His private seminars at the global design center are meant to create a sophisticated eye for top-notch styling.

He is personally leading Lexus, without having a division leader, like other Toyota divisions have.

pauljones > El Relámpago(LZone) - Humanity First! 09/25/2013 at 15:12

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No. Steve Jobs at least had a solid sense of practicality and of taste in terms of aesthetic balance, and his products sold well because of it. If Akio Toyoda is personally leading Lexus, and Lexus is throwing out things like the LF-NX, then I would say he's not anything like Steve Jobs.

dogisbadob > El Relámpago(LZone) - Humanity First! 09/25/2013 at 15:13

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No

Toyota is awesome. Apple sux.

If anything, Piech and VW are more like Apple/Jobs than anything

El Relámpago(LZone) - Humanity First! > pauljones 09/25/2013 at 15:14

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Ok, Akio Toyoda is a Steve Jobs with balls.

pauljones > El Relámpago(LZone) - Humanity First! 09/25/2013 at 15:15

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No, he's a Steve Jobs with horrible, horrible eye sight. Which would, in a nutshell, explain why he thinks new Lexus designs are attractive enough to approve for production.

bkempert > El Relámpago(LZone) - Humanity First! 09/25/2013 at 15:17

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What? Have you ever read about how ballsy Steve Jobs was? He was pretty much the worst businessman from all practical points, but it worked because his shit was so good that people would agree to his insanity. Steve Jobs having no balls? Probably one of the funniest things I've read all day. Also, I pretty much refuse to buy Apple products and I recognize the man was insane and insanely brilliant.

El Relámpago(LZone) - Humanity First! > pauljones 09/25/2013 at 15:19

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They are, you have to take time and try to understand them, just like the kid who was bullied in high school because he dressed funny, but made it big, because he had charisma and confidence to be different.

El Relámpago(LZone) - Humanity First! > bkempert 09/25/2013 at 15:28

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Jobs would have never been so bold and insane to approve designs like this, when everybody(even traditionally in your face brands like Cadillac) is going safe.

pauljones > El Relámpago(LZone) - Humanity First! 09/25/2013 at 15:29

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That kid was Chris Bangle, whose controversial designs, though unusual, were immensely well thought-out, balanced, and coherent. His designs generated controversy and discussion because they were a unique and unusual exploration of surfacing and details, while still maintaining harmony and coherence as a whole. He was successful not because he had the courage and the charisma to be different, but because he was thoughtful, rational, and thorough in establishing a unique theme all his own.

None of that is present with the new Lexus design language; in fact, the only coherent aspect of Lexus' new design language is that they all share some variation of the "spindle" grille. Notwithstanding that, there is little in the way of common or thoughtful themes and details.

Lexus' design language is like the punk kid in high school who showed up one day with a blue mohawk, pierced tongue, a ratty denim jacket, and an angry "fuck the world" attitude in a desperate bid for attention; the one who's now working in a back alley video store a few miles from the high school.

El Relámpago(LZone) - Humanity First! > dogisbadob 09/25/2013 at 15:32

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Piech would be Vader.

El Relámpago(LZone) - Humanity First! > pauljones 09/25/2013 at 15:35

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Or formed a successful band and got famous, if the world fucked you(made fun of you because you're nice and safe), the best thing to do is to fuck it back.

bkempert > El Relámpago(LZone) - Humanity First! 09/25/2013 at 15:40

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That's just not true. He pushed for things against market trends all of the time. I guess I can't force you to see it, but Steve Jobs — and Apple for that matter — should have failed. He never listened to anybody but himself and his vision, especially in the early days of Apple. Steve Jobs is the only reason that Apple even got close to how successful it is.

SLR999 > pauljones 09/25/2013 at 15:51

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The LF-NX is overcooked.

The IS is ahead of the curve; unlike modern BMWs it pulls of the multifaceted look well. There are more parallel lines/implies intersections than I've seen on other flame surfacing style form languages, and it holds the look together.

The LF-LC is perfect.

Pessimippopotamus > pauljones 09/25/2013 at 15:54

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Yup. If Toyota lacks anything, it's coherence. All the latest concept cars from Lexus have wildly different surfacing and design solutions (sensuous curves of the LF-LC abandoned for flatsided LF-CC, then crumpled up for the monstrous LF-NX). Like you said, all they share is the spindle grille, but not much else. The same problem plagues main Toyota line up (at least in the US).

El Relámpago(LZone) - Humanity First! > bkempert 09/25/2013 at 15:56

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But Apple designs, especially in 2000's, got dull, and too functional, form followed function, the new Lexus design is bold and flamboyant. Not only it doesn't respect the mold of its German rivals, but it takes that mold and brakes it on their heads.

Pessimippopotamus > El Relámpago(LZone) - Humanity First! 09/25/2013 at 16:05

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I personally think Lexus feels like it has to catch-up long after everyone's had their bold and insane years come and gone. Remember when Audi revealed the huge shield grille and the LED eye lashes? Remember when Bangle took machete to BMW surfacing? Remember when Infiniti introduced its own spindle grille and melty surfacing?

Also, it's important to note that design trends are cyclical. You can perceive what Lexus is doing as being a brave trendsetter, or you can see it as making a misstep and following the wrong trend.

El Relámpago(LZone) - Humanity First! > Pessimippopotamus 09/25/2013 at 16:07

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That's good, keep the corporate face, but explore different personalities, that fit the car you're doing, you don't want a lineup of clones, a la Audi. LF-LC is a sporty, sexy GT, LF-CC is a focused coupe and the LF-NX is a crossover that refuses to look like the ton of crossovers you see on the roads, today. Each design is unique, but the spindle grille adds the Lexus touch.

pauljones > El Relámpago(LZone) - Humanity First! 09/25/2013 at 16:13

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Time will tell, I suppose. But if I were a betting man, I don't think that this generation of design language will be remembered or talked about with any degree of kindness.

Pessimippopotamus > El Relámpago(LZone) - Humanity First! 09/25/2013 at 16:16

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But the thing is LF-LC is a dead end evolution of the surface language Lexus toyed with for one of of the LF-A concepts. LF-CC's flat surfacing's just production design in disguise (as we found out with the new IS), and the LF-NX's surfacing will never see production, no matter how brave Akio Toyoda is. None of the line work makes sense on that thing. It's designed purely to aggravate the senses, which is not a good foundation for an actual design language.

Granted, that spindle grille does wonders on letting potential customers identify Lexus easily. I'm just not sure it's good looking enough to be sustainable. BMW, afterall, did eventually smoothed out the bangle butt and filled in the machete cuts on its cars.