In his new role as chief branding officer, Fukuichi has been given a lot of freedom from CEO Akio Toyoda to get things done. It also makes sense that Fukuichi will continue his role as Lexus' head of advanced design. Basically, he needs to permanently shed the image of Lexus being nothing more than premium Toyotas. Lexus ownership needs to become a lifestyle, which is exactly what Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz have created. It remains to be seen if Lexus can accomplish its goal, but one thing is for certain: the era of rebadged Toyotas serving as a Lexus is coming to an end.