The Story Behind the Lexus Spindle Grille:

The epiphany came while GS lead designer Katsuhiko Inatomi was playing with clay models of that car at the company’s studio in Toyota City. On a whim, he tweaked the air intake to connect the lower and upper grilles in a boxlike frame.

“Simon [Humphries, Toyota's executive chief creative designer] took a peek and said, ‘That’s it! That’s the spindle grille,’ ” Inatomi recalls.

Humphries says the spindle brings the flexibility to span a Lexus lineup running from sporty coupes to sedans and SUVs. “For example, we can create a more elegant grille if the break point” between the upper and lower portions of the grille, he says, “is lowered, or more aggressive if raised.”

The grille’s design language will change with the times, he says. “The proportions may become wider or narrower, it may be rounded or squared,” he says. “But the fundamental bi-conic shape will remain apparent.”

courtesy of lexus enthusiast