OEM INTERVIEW Lexus’s new business and tech center is a three-story facility designed to encourage conversations between the technology, design and planning departments and provide a holistic view of each vehicle’s development. The ground floor will include pit garages modeled on the Nürburgring, with digital tools to assist engineers. Business functions are on the first floor, while the second floor is laid out as a space for engineers, designers, aerodynamicists and other employees to collaborate freely. A Messe convention and exhibition center will extend those exchanges to external partners, with garages for working on vehicles together. Ito believes strongly that peer-to-peer relationships are important for mutual motivation and to inspire new ideas. “We’re working on a very close-knit level and it’s really taken our operations to the next stage,” he adds. “Lexus International president Takashi Watanabe is very active in all levels of development. He’s part of the conversation, so as a company we are very unified.” Charging ahead Development programs are already evolving. The latest NX SUV was the first Lexus to adopt new model-based development methods to assist with inconsistency detection and quality assurance, but Ito says the sensory experience remains vital. Relocating to Shimoyama helps deliver faster development cycles, enabling engineers to feed information from track testing back into the digital environment more quickly, and vice versa. “Simulations are a means to an end. When you’re trying to make a good car, you need a whole process. It’s all about the impact on your five senses and the joy of being able to – for lack of a better word – throw the car around, really maneuver it and hold it in your hand. That’s ABOVE: Takashi Watanabe, president of Lexus International (pictured right), is involved throughout the development process BELOW: Lexus places great importance on the feel of its vehicles. It is using various innovations to place its stamp on e-mobility Heartfelt harmony Differentiation is an important aspect of Lexus’s future BEV line-up. Strong acceleration is a given, Ito says, but engineers are working on the following portfolio of core technologies to ensure a unique driver experience: Advanced four-wheel drive: Direct4 is already fitted to the latest RX hybrid and RZ electric SUVs. It uses the e-axles to enable vehicles to independently control torque and braking force to each corner, minimizing uncomfortable pitching during acceleration and deceleration while also improving cornering stability. Steer-by-wire: One Motion Grip completely removes the mechanical connection between the steering yoke and front wheels, reducing driver inputs, cutting vibrations into the cabin and offering more packaging freedom for components. Development is due to be finalized this year, and the RZ will get it first. Personalization: Toyota’s new Arene operating system will be phased in from 2025. This standardizes software development between models but is deeply integrated into onboard systems so features can be added OTA. Drivers will get conversational AI-powered voice controls and the ability to personalize drive characteristics to their tastes – including the way vehicles sound and vibrate. Simulated gearshifts: Lexus is developing a system that enables BEVs to simulate the sensation of manually shifting between gears. Prototypes have tested a pseudo clutch pedal, gearshifter and tachometer, with software controls that vary motor torque – including the ability to upload settings that replicate classic cars. Ito says Lexus is “seriously” considering it for future models. the joy that we’re going after, and that has to be felt with your own body,” he explains. “Shimoyama is a very rigorous, extreme track. It puts a lot of load on the vehicle, including extreme undulations and elevation changes. We can, in the real world, run the car and then we can continue to do simulations concurrently. That cycle is becoming more and more efficient as we go on.” That agility is particularly important as architectures change at a fundamental level. The production counterpart of the LF-ZC will be the first Lexus to use a new architecture with a central battery module between front and rear sections that are largely made from gigacast aluminum to simplify manufacturing complexity, save weight and improve rigidity. This gives the foundations for low-center-of-gravity, aerodynamic vehicles and spacious cabins while accommodating new-generation battery technologies that can be varied to prioritize cost or performance. Lexus will pioneer the high-performance battery, claiming an 800km (WLTP) range and 20-minute charge times from 10-80% despite a 20% reduction in costs compared to today’s packs. “We will also radically transform the production process,” says Ito, noting that this is vital to becoming more sustainable. “We will have self-driving assembly lines, where cars move autonomously through each stage of the manufacturing process. This means more flexibility in design and production, and this will allow us to speed up the development of different types of vehicles, to quickly meet the evolution of society and customer needs.” Importantly, Lexus is focused on how demands on BEVs will change once they become more mainstream and the differentiators shift away from longer ranges and faster charging. Introducing shallower battery packs and a complementary project developing compact e-axles will enable future models to provide more passenger and cargo space while saving weight and improving aerodynamics – including for electric sports cars. Development programs also have to include headroom for vehicles to continue evolving through over-the-air updates, he says. “These are exciting times for Lexus engineers – electrification gives us so many new opportunities and we look forward to presenting our future products.” www.AutomotiveTestingTechnologyInternational.com 32 JUNE 2024