Technical Development

Body

Year
Month
Technology developed and applied
Applicable Vehicle
1955
 
Rear-hinged door developed
Crown
1957
 
Fiber Reinforced Plastic (FRP) roof developed
Land Cruiser
1960
 
Fiber felt toe-board developed
Corona
1962
 
X-shaped frame developed
Crown
1965
 
2-door hardtop body structure developed; Wins Mainichi Industrial Design Contest’s Special Prize
Corona
1966
 
Curved door glass developed
Corolla
 
Reversible key developed
Corolla
 
Radiator grille made of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene developed
Crown
1968
 
Seat equipped with a walk-in mechanism developed
Sprinter
1970
 
Molded ceiling liner developed
Celica
1973
 
Shock-absorbing bumper developed
Models with U.S. specifications
 
ELR (emergency locking retractor) seatbelt developed
Models with U.S. specifications
1977
 
Sunroof developed
Celica
 
Colored urethane bumper developed
Celica
1979
 
Rear window with a segmented line developed
Crown
 
High-tensile steel plate body developed
Corolla
 
Monolithic catalytic converter developed
Supra
1980
 
EPS tape-driven automatic seatbelt developed
Corona
1981
 
Heated seat developed
Crown
 
Microcomputer-controlled seat developed
Crown
 
Polypropylene bumper developed
Carina
1982
 
Reinforced reaction injection molding fender developed
Celica
 
Rotating opposing seats developed
Light Ace
1983
 
Radiator grille that automatically opens and closes developed
Corolla
 
Tilting and sliding sunroof developed
Corona
1984
 
Keyless entry system developed
Dyna
 
FRP rear spoiler developed
Corolla
 
'Four-box styling' developed
MR2
 
Flush-surface door glass developed
MarkII
1985
 
Child seat developed
 
 
Skylight roof developed
Light Ace, Townace
1986
 
Targa top developed
Supra
 
T-bar roof developed
MR2
 
Easy-access door developed
Soarer
1988
 
Large rear subframe developed
MarkII
1989
March 30
World’s first self-folding and self-storing metal roof developed and made main feature of the Soarer 3.0GT-based Aerocabin
Soarer
June
Variable muffler developed
Crown Majesta
October 9
Ultrasonic raindrop-removing mirror developed
Celsior (first in the world)
October 9
Variable-angle windshield wiper developed
Celsior
 
Vibration-dampening laminated steel plate for body panels developed
 
1990
March
Gull-wing doors developed
Sera
July
Variable diaphragm muffler developed
Vista
1992
October
Flush-mount window molding developed; The molding is the first in the world to use a rubber polymer extruded in intermittent layers
MarkII
 
Supplemental Restraint System (SRS) front-passenger airbag offered
Celsior
1993
May 24
Plastic fuel tank developed using sealant technology
The tank achieves world-leading performance through the use of fuel-permeation-prevention technology developed as a Japan first
Supra
 
Active headrest developed
 
1994
October
Film-door type air conditioner unit developed
Celsior
 
UV-reducing door glass and water-repelling door glass developed
 
1995
December 26
New collision-safety body structure based on Global Outstanding Assessment (GOA) developed
Starlet
1996
August 1
Low-cost, SRS side airbag that does not interfere with interior styling developed
Celsior
September
Electric-discharge headlights adopted
MarkII
1998
October
World’s first SRS curtain shield airbag developed;
Airbag inflates between the side windows and the adjacent seating positions and is engineered to help protect the head and neck when the vehicle is hit from the side
Progres
 
Seatbelt equipped with a force limiter developed
 
 
Technology for recycling paint-repaired bumpers developed
 
1999
August 31
Retractable rear seat developed as the first in the world that can be stowed partially under the front seats with headrests attached to create a flat cargo space
Fun Cargo
2000
May
Bladder tank system featuring the world’s first rubber polymer bladder tank developed; System has a double-layer construction that allows expansion and shrinkage depending on the amount of fuel and a pluggable valve that helps prevent fuel vapors from escaping
Prius
2001
March 19
'Safety Forum' held to announce plans for enhancing safety technologies; SRS curtain shield airbags made available on all passenger-vehicle models
 
April 3
Motorized metal top developed; Top allows the changing of a vehicle from a coupe to a convertible and vice versa in approximately 25 seconds at the push an instrument-panel button
 
 
Pedestrian-injury-lessening vehicle body developed
 
 
Passenger-side, dual-stage SRS airbag developed
 
2002
September 13
Driver-side SRS knee airbag developed; The airbag, a Japan first, vastly enhances front-occupant safety in a head-on collision
Caldina
2003
February 17
Pre-Collision System developed; The system, which uses world-first technologies, predicts a frontal collision before it happens and helps reduce injury to vehicle occupants
Lexus RX
February 17
Adaptive Front-Lighting System (AFS) developed; The system, which uses world-first technologies, automatically changes the direction of the headlights in accordance with vehicle speed and steering angle to improve visibility at intersections and during cornering
Harrier
May 12
World’s first B-pillarless structure developed
Raum
 
Power rear hatch developed
 
2004
 
High energy-absorbing crash box based on ridgeline control technology developed
 
2005
 
World’s first twin-chamber airbag developed; The airbag, for the front-passenger position and which is divided into right and left halves, is designed to significantly reduce injury by distributing the collision impact to the left and right
Lexus IS
2006
 
One-touch, stow-away rear seat developed
The seat features a structure that allows it to be stowed for creating an expansive cargo space by a single, remote operation from the rear
 
 
Rear-seat relaxation system developed
The system features a next-generation seat cushion that aims to provide a superlative level of comfort and relaxation
 
 
Exhaust heat recirculation system developed
The system circulates engine coolant through an exhaust heat recovery system to quickly raise the coolant temperature and improve heating performance
Estima Hybrid
2007
April
World's first LED headlamp developed
Lexus LS Hybrid
 
Advanced seat-configuration system developed
The system comprises ‘one-touch extra space’ third-row seats, a second-row middle seat that folds out of the way, and rotating second-row seats with a child seat mode
Noah, Voxy
2008
September 30
World’s first SRS rear-window curtain shield airbag developed
 
2009
March 11
World’s first SRS rear-seat center airbag developed
 
2010
December
Carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) body developed; Dramatic weight reduction achieved
LFA
2011
August
Drive Beauty Nanoe developed The system works as an ion air purifier with health benefits that releases Nanoe from the A/C vents
Camry
December
Save energy + airflow control (S-FLOW) developed The world’s first system that sends air only to where vehicle occupants are seated in order to maintain and improve comfort while also improving fuel efficiency
Lexus GS

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