In 1989 Toyota introduced what was arguably the most over-engineered car ever made. The Lexus LS had to be perfect if it was going to go toe-to-toe with the established European brands. It was. More refined, more durable, and far more affordable than its competition, the Lexus LS forever changed the luxury car landscape and set a new standard for quality. Now after 36 years, it’s driving off into the sunset.
If you had asked someone in 1989 whether a V8 Toyota would eventually unseat a storied marque like Jaguar from its Old World luxury throne, they probably would’ve thought you were on crack. Yet Lexus is uttered in the same breath as Mercedes while the multi-Le Mans-winning creator of the E-Type and XJ is wandering aimlessly in a technicolor desert.
Lexus’ rise was fueled directly by the excellence of the LS, but after three and half decades as symbol of the marque, the sedan becomes another sacrifice to the SUV gods. The final LS will arrive as the 2026 LS500 AWD Heritage Edition. Finished in a new Ninety Noir black paint with Rioja Red interior, it rides on exclusive 20-inch split-20-spoke wheels in Dark Gray Metallic.
It will come a few special items to denote the specialness of this edition. On the center console is an etched LS Heritage Edition badge with a silhouette of the car, a design element repeated on the headrests via embroidery. The sticker of $99,280 includes amenities like a panoramic roof and 23-speaker sound system. The Heritage Edition is limited to 250 units.
Once they’re gone, it’ll be the end of the LS line. That leaves the question of which Lexus will become the flagship. The gorgeous LC is ending after 2026 as well so that’s out. The Land Cruiser J300-based Lexus LX could hold that honor, at least until the so-called LFR supercar makes its debut. Neither really screams Lexus though. Sad as it may be, the model that defined the brand has receded into the shadows of an SUV-dominant world, an tragic end for a car that reshaped the automotive world.
Let’s be blunt. The LS was the only Lexus that mattered, and everything else was basically a dressed up Toyota *something*
No LS essentially means no Lexus, as the entire brand is based on the LS and what it meant. So, you might as well just turn out the lights when the last LS rolls off the line, as without it, Lexus just means you paid too much for a Toyota.
Well, the LC matters too, but that’s also going away. Without a strong identity to lead its engineers and marketing folks, I fear for Lexus’ future.
I agree, without the LS, what is Lexus? It truly was their flagship, will they go the Infiniti way when they ditched their Q45 and tried to push their mid-size luxury car as a flasgship?
Is the boring ES the new flagship? It is a great car, do not get me wrong, but a flagship?
My guess is that they will make some Lexus badged Crown SUV à la BMW X7 and call it a day, I hope they will find its identity in order not to let the brand fade.
Like Lil Jon, I instantly went, “WHAAAAAAT!” I’ll say it again
WHAAAAAAAAT!!!
No effing way this can be happening! Is it really not profiting for Lexus to continue the LS?
One of the recent QotW mentioned what midlife crisis car should one get? Well, I still stand behind the LS.
Could this be an opportunity for Nissan / Infiniti? Acura doesn’t have the RLX either, and once there’s TOO many SUVs on the road (who knows, maybe the ignorant public might one day ACTUALLY realize this) that a luxury car stands out more.
I disagree with the statement that the LS “becomes another sacrifice to the SUV gods”. As much as I love the LS, it never was a true competitor to German prestige. Lexus continued to bank on the image of a reliable luxury flagship to sell. That worked for a small percentage of luxury flagship buyers but at the end of the day, prestige and being associated with success is what moves units at that end of the automotive landscape. The S class is still around because Mercedes knows how to maintain its image, despite being a headache to maintain. A reliable S class was what people wanted in 1990, which is why that was the only year the LS broke 40k units in a year. After that, people wanted more but Lexus never delivered and you can see that reflected in the sales figures. They never broke 40k units in any year after 1990.
The Automotive staff at Lexus should be demoted! You destroyed your Flagship LS, by making The Es model exact ly like the LS, resulting in the reduction in Sales of the LS model. You did it and it’s sad, first you model the ES after the LS, then you take the Power train of the V8 engine out of your LS Flagship model, thus reducing The LS as the Top Luxury model. Sad
I see many Genesis on the streets, I get that those made a dent in Lexus’ marketshare, it steered customers that were already considering a non-german luxury car to a new player on the market. It could be interesting to compare Genesis’ situation with Lexus back then, then try to predict if dropping the LS was the right move or if it would become just another Acura-Infiniti-Lincoln, more of a pseudo-luxury than a full-on luxury car maker…