The replacement for the Lexus LS sedan is not one car but two, with a pair of wildly different concepts – debuting at this week’s Tokyo motor show – taking the nameplate in new directions.
The six-wheel Lexus LS Concept people mover was revealed in Tokyo alongside the LS Coupe Concept – a coupe SUV –as a pair of potential replacements for the LS sedan, which will go out of production next year with the 2026 LS500 AWD Heritage Edition farewell model.
Both models were shown in the metal at the show, which opens to the public on October 30, with more details released for the previously previewed people mover and the LS Coupe shown for the first time.
The ‘LS’ prefix was used on the first Lexus, the 1989 LS400, and stood for ‘Luxury Sedan’ at a time when “executive sedans used to rule the world,” according to the president of CALTY (California Toyota) design, Ian Cartabiano.
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Now, the LS name has been applied to two designs – neither locked in for production at the time of writing – as the LS flagship model spearheads “a completely new direction” both for the nameplate and the Lexus brand.
For the LS Concept, the carmaker said it now stands for ‘Luxury Space’, with its six wheels enabling packaging advantages for up to seven seats and a wild, roomy cabin that’s a “take on Japanese interior design”.
The crisp, angular exterior design includes a simpler take on the current Lexus spindle grille using LED lighting and illuminated ‘Lexus’ lettering and prominent, angular lower sections.
The side profile sees a massively raked front windscreen and huge front wheels, as well as four smaller rear wheels behind a set of sliding doors that enable access to the second and third-row seating.
Design boss Mr Cartabiano said the LS Concept is designed for an age where space and privacy are “priceless commodities”, with the ‘VIP’ second-row seating also bringing a lower centre of gravity for better driving dynamics.
Details include Japanese bamboo privacy blinds, two individual glass roof panes, and leather upholstery. Though the concept promises comfortable second and third rows, there’s naturally still a cargo area behind the third-row seats.
The front row sees a steering yoke and new curved infotainment and digital instrument displays with the same dash concept shared across the LS Concept and LS Coupe Concept. Physical climate control buttons remain.
The LS Coupe brings the same design language, with angular lines and a spindle-style front end and angular LED daytime running lights but in a coupe-roofed SUV package.
Mr Cartabiano described the LS Coupe as a “balance of contradictions” with the goal to “raise the positioning at the top of our brand”.
Sitting on massive wheels, its sculpted body includes bonnet vents, recessed front doors to give the guards a muscular look, and a full glass roof.
Lexus says the design brings “beauty and innovation” in areas usually overlooked and ignored – with party pieces including rear-hinged back doors (although there is still a B-pillar) and a pull-out drawer tailgate.
The interior also sees a driver’s seat designed for driving – which appears to mean more bolstering among the changes – with a different design for the front passenger seat focusing on comfort.
Both concepts are designed for multiple powertrain options, with Mr Cartabiano telling CarExpert the closed grilles are not due to the vehicles being electric-only – and they could accommodate hybrid or internal combustion powertrains, if needed, for production.