A decade of The Lexus Spindle Grille is 10 years old
Even the most infamous of automotive designs have their legacy. This much is true for the evolution of the Lexus spindle grille, a prominent, while often polarizing feature of Lexus vehicles for the past ten years.
With the adoption of the new spindle body design, we’re taking a look back through ten years of history with the spindle grille, the pivotal feature that brought a bold identity to the Lexus brand.
Introduction of the iconic spindle grille
Lexus first introduced the spindle grille to the automotive world in 2011, with their unveiling of the LF-Gh Concept. The oversized grille concept caught the attention of many and would later be implemented on the fourth-generation GS sedan in 2012 and models beyond.
For the next decade, Lexus would alter the formula of the spindle grille, evolving the mesh pattern from one iteration to the next but always retaining the large profile of the grille which had become synonymous with the Lexus identity.
“You should be able to identify a car as a Lexus immediately,” Kiyotake Ise, who was head of Lexus at the time, said during the grille’s reveal. “Instant visual recognition, for example, is the reason behind our spindle grille. It may look aggressive at first glance, that’s intentional, but it also conveys its boldness with sophistication and elegance.”
And while the spindle grille was received indecisively by audiences throughout its history, there’s no denying the bold identity it brought to Lexus.
Beyond the automotive world
Soon this unique attribute of the Lexus identity surpassed the automotive world, making its way to the screen in the film Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets as part of the Skyjet spacecraft. The spindle grille design motif additionally appears in the Loft, the Lexus and Brussels Airlines lounge at Brussels Airport.
A new evolution: the spindle body
As Lexus turns to a new chapter of electrified innovation, a new bold design has emerged in place of the iconic grille piece. Lexus has adopted a new spindle body, a continuation of the bodywork on the new Lexus RZ 450e, a commentary on how such a vehicle has fewer cooling demands.
This seamless display with a lower mesh pattern physique has also featured on the new Lexus RX, ushering in a new era of the radical design and sophistication Lexus has upheld for more than a decade.