Experience Day event runs Oct. 14–16 at Walkerhill Hotel in Seoul

Lead engineer and designer on hand to explain the vehicle

ES 350e and ES 500e test drives begin Oct. 22

Weekday drives run 2 hours; weekend drives up to 6 hours

Lexus Korea will hold the "All New ES Experience Day: Discover Tomorrow" event at the "Théâtre des Lumières" at Walkerhill Hotel in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, from Oct. 14 to 16. [Provided by Lexus]
Lexus Korea will hold the "All New ES Experience Day: Discover Tomorrow" event at the "Théâtre des Lumières" at Walkerhill Hotel in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, from Oct. 14 to 16. [Provided by Lexus]

Lexus Korea is hosting an event to mark the launch of the fully redesigned All New ES, bringing customers face-to-face with the vehicle's development team. Starting later this month, the automaker will also run a dedicated test-drive program for the new ES electric vehicle models, offering two-hour weekday drives and up to six hours on weekends.

Lexus Korea announced Wednesday that it will hold the "All New ES Experience Day: Discover Tomorrow" at the "Théâtre des Lumières" at Walkerhill Hotel in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, from Oct. 14 to 16.

The three-day event targets a different audience each day, with invitations extended in sequence to customers who have placed pre-orders for the new ES, existing Lexus owners, and the general public.

On the first day, Wednesday, 200 pre-order customers will meet the engineers and designers behind the vehicle. Chief Engineer Chiashi Kohei and Chief Designer Kumai Yahiko will walk attendees through the development process and design philosophy and take questions from the audience.

Chief Designer Kumai will also give a live drawing demonstration. The venue will feature a media art exhibition incorporating works by Gustav Klimt and Lee Ung-no. Registration is available through authorized Lexus dealers nationwide.

On Thursday, lifestyle talks, performances and a media art program will be offered to 150 pre-order and existing Lexus customers. Those wishing to attend can register through the Lexus Lounge app or an authorized dealer.

The final day, Friday, opens the event to a broader audience. Up to 200 people — including existing customers, prospective buyers interested in the new ES, and general visitors — will be invited to view the vehicle exhibition and media art program. Participants will be selected through an event on Lexus Korea's official social media channels.

A separate program will also give attendees the chance to get behind the wheel.

From Oct. 22 through Nov. 20, Lexus Korea will run a dedicated electric vehicle test-drive program for the All New ES at Connect To, the brand's lifestyle and cultural space at Lotte World Mall in Jamsil, Seoul.

The program will feature the front-wheel-drive ES 350e and the all-wheel-drive ES 500e. Drivers will have two hours on weekdays and up to six hours on weekends — far longer than a typical showroom test drive — to experience the vehicles in conditions closer to everyday use. Reservations open Tuesday through the Lexus Lounge app.

The All New ES is the eighth-generation full model change. Lexus is adding a battery electric vehicle to the ES lineup for the first time, expanding it to nine trims in total — four hybrid and five electric. The official domestic launch is scheduled for Tuesday.

Among the electric models, the ES 350e has a certified combined range of 478 kilometers on a single charge at normal temperatures under domestic standards. The ES 500e comes equipped with DIRECT4, an all-wheel-drive system that independently controls torque to the front and rear wheels.

"This event was designed so that customers can not only experience the All New ES firsthand, but also deepen their appreciation of the values and appeal built into the new ES through meetings with the development team and a range of lifestyle programs," said Kang Dae-hwan, vice president of Lexus Korea. "Going forward, Lexus will continue to create opportunities to offer new experiences that go beyond the automobile and speak to the diverse lifestyles of our customers."


kwater@heraldcorp.com