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Altezza lights (also known as Lexus lights, Euro lights, crystal lights, or clear lights) are vehicle tail lamp clusters consisting of one or more internal lamp units, covered with a clear (or tinted) acrylic cover. This style of taillight was made popular by Lexus and has been stock equipment on Toyota Altezza, Lexus IS300 and IS200 models since 1998. Some Altezza lights also use LED lighting. [1]
The style was first used on the rear light clusters of the Toyota Altezza in 1998, which was sold elsewhere in the world months later as the Lexus IS. Prior to the release of the Altezza, the Toyota Supra Mark IV also used an encased tail lamp assembly in gun-metal grey that is sometimes credited with starting the trend. The Mark I Altezza taillight housing was finished in chrome.
Altezza lights are commonly installed as an aftermarket part on modified cars, and the styling cues of the rear light clusters were also copied by a number of other vehicles and car manufacturers. This includes cars like the Toyota Prius C, third and fourth generation Nissan Altima, second and third generation Subaru Impreza hatchback and second generation sedan, second generation Chevrolet Aveo sedan, 2011–2016 Honda Brio, first generation Mazda6, and 2007–2016 Mitsubishi Lancer. It is also seen on SUVs such as the fourth generation Mitsubishi Pajero, first and third generation Lexus RX, 2003–2006 Indonesian-built first generation Nissan Terrano and 2011–2015 Toyota Fortuner.
Minivan is a car classification for vehicles designed to transport passengers in the rear seating row(s), with reconfigurable seats in two or three rows. The equivalent classification in Europe is MPV.
The Nissan Maxima is a car manufactured and marketed by Nissan and offered as Nissan's flagship sedan primarily in North America, the Middle East, and China — and currently in its eighth generation. Having debuted for model year 1982 as the Datsun Maxima, it replaced the earlier Datsun 810. The name Maxima dates to model year 1981 when Datsun marketed the upscale 810 as the 810 Maxima in North America. Like the 810, early versions of the Maxima had their origins in the Datsun/Nissan Bluebird. It is renamed to Nissan Maxima when the Datsun brand was phased out for model year 1985.
The Honda Inspire is a mid-size sedan derived from the Honda Accord chassis. The first Inspire debuted in late 1989 as the Accord Inspire, a sister nameplate to the Honda Vigor. It was sold at different retail channels in Japan, known as Honda Verno for the Vigor/Saber, and as the Inspire at Honda Clio stores.
The Toyota Avalon is a full-size sedan produced by Toyota. It is Toyota's largest front-wheel drive sedan and serves as its flagship sedan in the United States, Canada, China and the Middle East. It was also produced in Australia from April 2000 until June 2005, when it was replaced in November 2006 by the Aurion. The first production Avalon rolled off the TMMK assembly line in Georgetown, Kentucky, in September 1994, and subsequent generations have all been manufactured at the Kentucky location to date.
The Lexus GS is an executive car sold by Lexus, the premium division of Toyota. The same car had been launched in 1991 as the Toyota Aristo in Japan. For non-Japanese markets, it was released as the Lexus GS in February 1993. It continued using the Toyota Aristo name for the Japanese market until January 2005.
In the automotive industry, rebadging is a form of market segmentation used by automobile manufacturers around the world. To allow for product differentiation without designing or engineering a new model or brand, a manufacturer creates a distinct automobile by applying a new "badge" or trademark to an existing product line.
The Toyota Camry is an automobile sold internationally by the Japanese auto manufacturer Toyota since 1982, spanning multiple generations. Originally compact in size (narrow-body), the Camry has grown since the 1990s to fit the mid-size classification (wide-body)—although the two widths co-existed in that decade. Since the release of the wide-bodied versions, Camry has been extolled by Toyota as the firm's second "world car" after the Corolla. As of 2022, the Camry is positioned above the Corolla and below the Avalon or Crown in several markets.
The Lexus IS is a compact executive car sold by Lexus, a luxury division of Toyota since 1999. The IS was originally sold under the Toyota Altezza nameplate in Japan from 1998. The IS was introduced as an entry-level sport model positioned below the ES in the Lexus lineup.
The Toyota Soarer is a personal luxury GT coupé produced from 1981 to 2005 by Toyota and sold in Japan. It was available at both Japanese Toyota dealerships called Toyota Store and Toyopet Store, and it debuted with the Z10 series, replacing the Toyopet Store exclusive Mark II coupé, and the Toyota Store exclusive Crown coupé.
The Lexus LS is a full-size luxury sedan serving as the flagship model of Lexus, the luxury division of Toyota. For the first four generations, all LS models featured V8 engines and were predominantly rear-wheel-drive. In the fourth generation, Lexus offered all-wheel-drive, hybrid, and long-wheelbase variants. The fifth generation changed to using a V6 engine with no V8 option, and only one length was offered.
The Nissan Cefiro is a front-engine, five passenger, mid-size passenger car manufactured and marketed by Nissan Motors over three generations. Almost all Cefiro's were marketed as four-door sedans, though a five-door wagon body style was briefly available (1997–2000). In most cases, the Cefiro used Nissan's VQ six-cylinder engines, named Ward's 10 Best Engines more than ten years running.
The Toyota Century is a lineup of full-size luxury cars and limousines produced mainly for the Japanese market, serving as Toyota's flagship car within Japan; globally the unrelated Lexus LS series is Toyota's flagship luxury model. Production of the Century began in 1967, and the model received only minor changes until redesigns in 1997 and 2018.
The Lexus ES is a series of mid-size executive cars marketed since 1989 by Lexus, the luxury division of Toyota, across multiple generations, each offering V6 engines and a front-engine, front-wheel-drive layout. The first five generations of the ES used the Toyota Camry platform, while the sixth and seventh generations are more closely related to the Avalon. Manual transmissions were offered until 1993, a lower-displacement inline-four engine became an option in Asian markets in 2010, and a gasoline-electric hybrid version was introduced in 2012. The ES was Lexus' only front-wheel drive vehicle until 1998, when the related RX was introduced, and the sedan occupied the entry-level luxury car segment of the Lexus lineup in North America and other regions until the debut of the IS in 1999. The ES name stands for "Executive Sedan". However, some Lexus importers use the backronymic name, "Elegant Sedan".
Torsen Torque-Sensing is a type of limited-slip differential used in automobiles.
The Toyota Mark II is a compact, later mid-size sedan manufactured and marketed in Japan by Toyota between 1968 and 2004. Prior to 1972, the model was marketed as the Toyota Corona Mark II. In some export markets, Toyota marketed the vehicle as the Toyota Cressida between 1976 and 1992 across four generations. Toyota replaced the rear-wheel-drive Cressida in North America with the front-wheel-drive Avalon. Every Mark II and Cressida was manufactured at the Motomachi plant at Toyota, Aichi, Japan from September 1968 to October 1993, and later at Toyota Motor Kyushu's Miyata plant from December 1992 to October 2000, with some models also assembled in Jakarta, Indonesia as the Cressida.
The Hyundai Grandeur is an executive sedan manufactured and marketed by the South Korean manufacturer Hyundai since 1986. From 1986 to 1996, the Grandeur was the flagship for Hyundai's South Korean range before the Hyundai Dynasty was introduced. The Grandeur has evolved through five generations with intermediate restylings, and is marketed under various nameplates worldwide—prominently as the Hyundai Azera. As the Azera, it was the flagship of Hyundai's US and Canadian lineup until the arrival of the Genesis sedan. After the launch of the separate Genesis brand, the Grandeur/Azera resumed its place as the company's flagship.
The WiLL brand was a marketing approach shared by a small group of Japanese companies who decided to offer products and services that focused on a younger demographic from August 1999 until July 2004 in Japan. The companies that participated were the Kao Corporation, Toyota, Asahi Breweries, Panasonic, Kinki Nippon Tourist Company, Ltd, Ezaki Glico Candy, and Kokuyo Co., Ltd.. Toyota also engaged in a similar "youth oriented" approach in North America, with the Project Genesis program. This selective marketing experiment reflected a Japanese engineering philosophy called Kansei engineering, which was used by other Japanese companies. All products were listed online at "willshop.com".
The Mitsubishi Fuso Rosa is a Japanese minibus based on the Mitsubishi Fuso Canter manufactured by Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation. The Mitsubishi Fuso Rosa was launched in 1960 and is now in its fifth generation, known as the BE7. In Japan, Asia-Pacific, Mid-East, Africa, Jamaica and South America, its principal competitors are the Isuzu Journey, Nissan Civilian, Mazda Parkway and Toyota Coaster.
Nobuaki Katayama is a Japanese automotive engineer and former racing driver who was the chief engineer for the first generation Lexus IS, the Toyota Altezza in Japan, the first generation Lexus SC 400/SC 300, and the 4th generation of the Toyota Supra. Previously, he was an engineer on the AE86 project, and also worked for four years on Toyota Motorsports' World Rally Championship and Le Mans programs.
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