Lexus will spearhead Toyota’s EV strategy with new ‘ajimigaki’ approach

Toyota’s luxury Lexus brand will play a key role in the Japanese automaker’s EV plans. After opening its new global headquarters, Lexus is embracing an “ajimigaki” strategy to revamp the luxury brand.

If you ask Google Translate, the Japanese term ajimigaki means “taste refinement” in English. Although this is exactly what Lexus aims to do (refine the brand), it means so much more internally.

After opening the doors to its new research and development center in Toyota City, Japan, in March, Lexus (and Toyota) plans to use the latest tech and tools to develop “ever-better cars,” including EVs.

Although it’s not a production plant, the Shimoyama Research and Development Center serves as a business and development center for Lexus and GR models.

With the “look and feel of a pit at the Nürburgring,” the site will not only speed up development but will also kick-start the brand’s transition to EVs.

For the first time, Lexus can design, develop, engineer, prototype, and test cars under one roof. Toyota will use “cutting-edge digital equipment” to accelerate development and production.

During the opening ceremony, Toyota chairman Akio Toyoda said that about 3,000 people will “drive, break, and improve cars here.” Toyoda added, “The more we drive and break cars, the ever-better they become.”

Lexus to kick start Toyota’s EV strategy

During an exclusive tour of the facility, Simon Humphries, Toyota’s global design chief, told Automotive News that the site would revolutionize how Lexus builds cars while accelerating the luxury brands’ shift to EVs.

“This facility is what’s necessary to do that,” Humphries explained. The site sets Lexus up for standalone operations, which could give it a competitive advantage over Japanese rivals like Acura and Infiniti, both of which mix operations with parent companies Honda and Nissan.

“With the amount of projects we have underway, being able to have all this together in one place is extremely important,” Humphries explained.

Toyota and Lexus will use the facility to revamp the luxury brand, using a “ajimigaki” approach. With “all the tools” for the creative process under one roof, the site is expected to accelerate the brand’s shift to EVs after falling behind early.

Under Toyota’s control, Lexus has been one of the biggest laggards in the transition so far. However, the luxury brand is expected to play a key role in the Japanese automaker’s future EV plans.

Toyota’s next-gen EV platform will debut with the Lexus brand in 2026. At the Japan Auto Show in October, Lexus previewed two concepts, the LF-ZC and LF-ZL, which are expected to become production models based on the platform. According to the report, designers at the new site are using the concepts as guides.

The Lexus site is just a portion of the massive Toyota Technical Center, but it’s expected to play a big role in the company’s future.

Lexus plans to offer an electrified option for every model in its lineup in 2030. By 2035, Lexus plans to go all-electric.