Kunihiko Endo

The First Design Proposal Was a Big Failure

The LBX's concept was "premium casual," and Endo built it while thinking about what kind of Lexus would suit the clothes you wear to go weekend shopping. But Endo looks back that the first design proposal was a "big failure." Forgetting the concept and being bound by previous methods and constraints, a proposal that had progressed as far as building a full-size model was scrapped. According to assistant chief engineer Takahashi, Chairman Akio Toyoda said at this point, "Are you really doing what you want to do?" Starting from the idea that "big tires look cool," Endo first emphasized the tires and carried out a "major proportion improvement," redoing the packaging to match them. The low-slung form, with the front and rear fenders bulging over the big tires, was inspired by a "kagami mochi."