Lexus is the luxury vehicle division of the Japanese automaker Toyota Motor Corporation. The Lexus brand is marketed in more than 90 countries and territories worldwide and is Japan's largest-selling make of premium cars. It has ranked among the 10 largest Japanese global brands in market value. Lexus is headquartered in Nagoya, Japan. Operational centers are located in Brussels, Belgium, and Plano, Texas, United States.
The Toyota Celica is an automobile produced by Toyota from 1970 until 2006. The Celica name derives from the Latin word coelica meaning heavenly or celestial. In Japan, the Celica was exclusive to Toyota Corolla Store dealer chain. Produced across seven generations, the Celica was powered by various four-cylinder engines, and body styles included convertibles, liftbacks, and notchback coupé.
A luxury car is a car that provides above-average to high-end levels of comfort, features, and equipment. Often, more expensive materials and surface finishes are used, and buyers expect better build quality. The usually higher pricing and more upscale appearance are often associated with the users' higher social status compared to low- and mid-market segment cars.
The Detroit Auto Show, formerly known as the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS), is an annual auto show held in Detroit, Michigan. Hosted at Huntington Place since 1965, it is among the largest auto shows in North America, and is widely regarded as one of the automotive industry's most important events.
A four-wheel drive, also called 4×4 or 4WD, is a two-axled vehicle drivetrain capable of providing torque to all of its wheels simultaneously. It may be full-time or on-demand, and is typically linked via a transfer case providing an additional output drive shaft and, in many instances, additional gear ranges.
In road-transport terminology, a lane departure warning system (LDWS) is a mechanism designed to warn the driver when the vehicle begins to move out of its lane on freeways and arterial roads. These systems are designed to minimize accidents by addressing the main causes of collisions: driver error, distractions and drowsiness. In 2009 the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) began studying whether to mandate lane departure warning systems and frontal collision warning systems on automobiles.
Hybrid Synergy Drive (HSD), also known as Toyota Hybrid System II, is the brand name of Toyota Motor Corporation for the hybrid car drive train technology used in vehicles with the Toyota and Lexus marques. First introduced on the Prius, the technology is an option on several other Toyota and Lexus vehicles and has been adapted for the electric drive system of the hydrogen-powered Mirai, and for a plug-in hybrid version of the Prius. Previously, Toyota also licensed its HSD technology to Nissan for use in its Nissan Altima Hybrid. Its parts supplier Aisin offers similar hybrid transmissions to other car companies.
Toyota Motor Corporation's A family is a family of automatic FWD/RWD/4WD/AWD transmissions built by Aisin-Warner. They share much in common with Volvo's AW7* and Aisin-Warner's 03-71* transmissions, which are found in Suzukis, Mitsubishis, and other Asian vehicles.
The Jeep Hurricane is a bespoke custom concept vehicle that was unveiled at the 2005 North American International Auto Show in Detroit by American automaker Jeep. Its principal exterior designer was Aaron Pizzuti. The concept went on to win IDEA Silver Award, a Popular Science "Best of what's new" award, and an Autoweek Editor's Choice award in the "Most Fun" category.
The Toyota MC platform is a front-wheel drive automobile platform that has underpinned various Toyota and Lexus models from the compact and mid-size categories. MC sits above the older NBC and newer B platforms, but below the Toyota K platform designed for larger models such as the Camry. Automobiles based on the MC chassis started production in 1997 with the Toyota Prius (XW10).
Adaptive cruise control (ACC) is a type of advanced driver-assistance system for road vehicles that automatically adjusts the vehicle speed to maintain a safe distance from vehicles ahead. As of 2019, it is also called by 20 unique names that describe that basic functionality. This is also known as Dynamic cruise control.
Calty Design Research Incorporated is a Toyota design studio established in 1973. They have two facilities: one in Newport Beach, California for concept designs, and another in Ann Arbor, Michigan for production designs. Calty provides both interior and exterior styling proposals for future Toyota vehicles and advanced design, production color and wheel design concepts for Toyota's product development operations.
The MillenWorks Light Utility Vehicle (LUV) is a prototype testbed for automotive technologies. It was designed and built by MillenWorks under contract to the Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center. Textron Marine and Land Systems will use the platform for further development of component technologies. The vehicle was a possible Joint Light Tactical Vehicle candidate, but was not selected.
Rodney Kenneth Millen is a New Zealand racing driver, vehicle designer, and business owner. He has competed in numerous genres of motorsports, including rallying, off-road racing, hillclimbing, drifting, and super touring.
A magnetorheological damper or magnetorheological shock absorber is a damper filled with magnetorheological fluid, which is controlled by a magnetic field, usually using an electromagnet. This allows the damping characteristics of the shock absorber to be continuously controlled by varying the power of the electromagnet. Fluid viscosity increases within the damper as electromagnet intensity increases. This type of shock absorber has several applications, most notably in semi-active vehicle suspensions which may adapt to road conditions, as they are monitored through sensors in the vehicle, and in prosthetic limbs.
Toyota Concept Vehicles produced between 1990 and 1999 include:
Toyota concept vehicles are transportation devices manufactured or designed by automobile company Toyota from 2000 to 2009. As their name suggests, these vehicles were concepts, and, as such, many were never released to dealerships. Many were developed in conjunction with other corporations such as Sony or Subaru.
Haruhiko Tanahashi is a Japanese automotive engineer who is responsible for the design and construction of the Lexus LFA supercar. Tanahashi joined Toyota Motor Corporation in 1978 as a chassis engineer, and has since worked in new vehicle design for over 30 years. The LFA development program, begun as project 680, comprised over a decade of his career until the debut of the vehicle in 2009. Tanahashi holds eight automotive design patents, previously worked on earlier models including the Toyota Crown, Soarer and Aristo, and has been part of various Toyota and Lexus development divisions.
Hiromu Naruse was the Japanese chief test driver and chief test engineer of Toyota Motor Corporation and chief of the Gazoo Racing team. Naruse had been a test driver for the Toyota team for 47 years (1963–2010). He was also noted as the chief test driver of the Lexus LFA supercar. During his time at Toyota, Naruse became known by the nickname "Meister", and colleagues at Ferrari called him the "man who knows all the world's roads." Naruse also logged more hours at the Nürburgring test track in Germany than any other Japanese driver.
