2018 LEXUS LS TAKUMI CRAFTSMANSHIP stories. Chapter 3: Art Wood

In a world of advanced materials technologies, the rich, natural qualities of wood are still regarded as being symbolic of luxury and craftsmanship. That’s why car manufacturers continue to use it as a signal of the quality the vehicles they make.

For Lexus it is not simply a matter of applying pieces of wooden trim. For its new LS flagship sedan it has explored at new ways of working with veneers to produce unique designs that distinguish the car from any other, creating a new aesthetic that discerning owners will value.

It has carefully selected the ideal raw materials and applied the skills of its Takumi master craftsmen to create Art Wood, a fusion of the natural beauty of wood and Lexus brave design.

Inspired by the patterns seen in Shimamoku wood, it has artistically combined natural woodworking processes with sophisticated Japanese slicing and laser-cutting techniques to produce three contrasting finishes for use in the new LS: Art Wood Organic, Art Wood Herringbone and Laser Cut Special Wood. The focus has been on producing bold contrasts between light and dark, giving the grain patterns and colours a more vibrant appearance.

Art Wood Organic is inspired by a blazing fire and took more than a year’s work to define. By layering the wood and applying a natural gloss coating to enhance the vibrancy of the grain, an impression of flickering flames is produced.

The wood is sustainably and responsibly sourced from the Agathis tree, a species native to Southeast Asia. Thin veneer sheets are stacked in multiple layers and then precision-sliced across the grain by the Takumi to produce the ultimate pattern. The striking curves and bold contrasts this process produces mark a new approach by Lexus, with strong appeal for people who value distinctive quality and forward-looking design.

And, because the grain patterns in a piece of wood are as unique as your fingerprint, in every LS the appearance and effect will be slightly different, further emphasising the individuality of every car Lexus builds.

You will find the Art Wood details in key areas around the new LS’s interior, for example in the gear lever and door handles surrounds where they complement the use of fine leathers and co-ordinated colourways to contribute to the cabin’s high aesthetic quality and superior ambience.