With full info coming next week at the Detroit Auto Show, Lexus has announced preliminary details on the redesigned IS luxury sports sedan. AutoGuide has also been given a special sneak-peek at the car before it’s official reveal.
DESIGN BLOOD-LINE
Like other models in the Lexus lineup, the 2014 IS has adopted the brand’s signature design element, its so-called “spindle grille.” Shown here on the IS350 F-Sport model, the grille is a single-frame, hour glass-shaped flourish, uninterrupted by a bumper line. Already a prominent part of the GS and LS sedans, it’s now migrating down to the smaller IS, and looks nearly identical to that found on the LF-CC Concept.
Aside from that unique – and very prominent grille – the car’s face also features unusual headlamp assemblies that are very sculptural; they’re almost 3-D in the way they’ve been contoured and shaped. Another stand-out part of the design are the separate L-shaped LED daytime-running lamps.
The front fenders are powerfully flared, making the car seem wider than it is. The character lines on top of these panels carry along the bodyside, terminating in the decklid at the back.
There are other interesting design elements as well, especially the twisting shape of the rocker panels. The high lines starting in these moldings sweep up near the rear of the car, neatly meeting up with the pointed taillamps.
Read the full story and see more photos of the 2014 Lexus IS at AutoGuide.com