A vehicle where form and function meet, following the spirit of true Japanese omotenashi—this is how James Deakin describes the new Lexus ES
Nashville, Tennessee: home of country music, cowboy boots, and bachelorette parties. Quite possibly the last place on earth you would think of launching a premium Japanese sedan like the Lexus ES. Or is it?
On the surface, there’s not much that Tennessee and the ES have in common—except for the amount of e’s and s’s in their names. Other than that, they are about as different as things can get.
But if you dig deeper, you’ll start to appreciate the similarities—not in the end-pr oduct, but in their journey.
You see, for the folks out here, country music is not just a genre. It’s a way of life. It’s a language all its own that tells the story of the people of the American South. In pretty much the same way, Lexus is not so much in the business of making cars as it is in making cars tell its story
Take the ES: there’s no doubt it is a great car. But that is not enough anymore. Let’s face it, it’s 2018; almost any reputable brand can make a good car. We’ve come to expect that already. Which is why Lexus choose to focus on the journey—simply because no two are the same.
They call it omotenashi. There is no literal English translation for the word, but simply put, it is the Japanese way of hospitality, of going beyond what is necessary to please a customer or a guest. For Lexus, this has become a sacred doctrine. The design of the vehicle isn’t simply the way it appears—it has as much to do with function as much as form. In everything, from the painful process of choosing the materials to the quality control process to measure the gaps between the panels, the attention to detail would make even a watchmaker proud.
Kajino-san is largely referring to the latest iteration of the brand’s signature spindle grille that follows the path set by the LC coupe and LS flagship yet adds individual cues that are unique to the ES—like the vertical grille pattern and satin plated trim. That theme is repeated at each corner of the bumper to give the ES a wide planted look that looks like it’s halfway through a push-up.
