Tag Archives: Lexus

CONCEPT CARS

Lexus LS 6×6 Concept: The Last Salute Goes Off the Rails

As the world quietly watches the slow fade of the Lexus LS — the stately limousine that launched Toyota’s luxury crusade 36 years ago — the brand has decided to celebrate its heritage not with a nostalgic farewell, but with… a six-wheeled minivan. Yes, six. Wheels. On an LS.

Somewhere, a German engineer just spilled their espresso.

From Samurai Sedan to Super Shuttle

Back in 1989, the LS was Toyota’s moonshot — a four-door statement that Japan could out-Benz the Benz. Fast forward to 2025, and the people who once demanded walnut veneer and whisper-quiet V8s now want to be chauffeured in rolling spas with ambient lighting and built-in massage chairs. Preferably in something that looks like an airport lounge on wheels.

Enter the Lexus LM — the “Luxury Mover” — basically an Alphard that’s been sent to finishing school. But apparently, Lexus thought even that wasn’t extra enough. Because at the upcoming Japan Mobility Show (née Tokyo Motor Show), the company is rolling out what appears to be an LS-badged, six-wheeled, fully electric luxury van.

Think Rolls-Royce meets cyberpunk camper van. Then add two more wheels just to confuse everyone.

Six Wheels of (Questionable) Glory

During a recent 90-minute Lexus livestream — which we watched in full so you don’t have to — the long-teased LFR supercar was nowhere to be seen. Instead, a shadowy shape loomed out of the darkness: tall, boxy, and unmistakably weird. Cue the LS 6×6 Concept.

The design? Imagine a skyscraper in motion. The bodywork is upright and unapologetically rectangular, topped with a flat roofline that looks capable of hosting a rooftop sushi bar. The face is dominated by vertical LED DRLs that stretch from bumper to bonnet, while the taillight bar climbs skyward like an electric exclamation mark.

And then there’s the door layout — or lack thereof. The passenger side seems to forgo a conventional front door entirely, opting instead for a gigantic, power-sliding portal that opens onto what appears to be a cavernous, lounge-like interior. Judging by the proportions, this thing has more legroom than most Tokyo apartments.

EV Heart, Concept Soul

Lexus hasn’t spilled the specs, but it’s almost certainly electric. That makes sense: the extra battery packaging could justify that third axle while keeping the cabin as open and serene as a Kyoto tea house.

And make no mistake — this is not a production car. The third axle is pure theatre, a visual sledgehammer to make sure nobody mistakes this for your average family hauler. It’s concept-car madness, the sort of thing that makes you grin before you even understand why.

An LS in Name, Not in Nature

To call this a “flagship” is almost trolling. The LS name once meant refinement, restraint, and quiet confidence. Now it’s been strapped to something that looks like it escaped from a designer’s fever dream. Purists will wail. The internet will meme. Lexus will shrug — because, frankly, this is the kind of weird the world needs right now.

What Else is Coming

The LS 6×6 Concept won’t be alone on stage. Lexus is also showing off a Century Coupe — basically Japan’s answer to a Bentley Continental — and possibly a reimagined Corolla concept. But let’s be honest: it’s the six-wheeler that will dominate the headlines.

Because when Lexus says goodbye to its original flagship, it’s not doing it quietly. It’s doing it with six wheels, three axles, and a wink to the future.

Source: Lexus

NEW CARS

2026 Lexus IS 350: The Last Samurai Sedan

There’s a certain poetry to Lexus choosing Road Atlanta for the first public showing of its newest IS 350. The smell of race fuel, the howl of GT3 cars slicing through Georgia air — and in the Fan Zone, a neatly tailored Japanese sports sedan that’s still stubbornly clinging to six cylinders and rear-wheel drive. In 2025, that makes it something of a hero. Or a holdout. Maybe both.

After a digital debut last month, the 2026 Lexus IS 350 is stepping into the real world at this weekend’s IMSA Petit Le Mans, the spiritual finale to America’s endurance season. The move is fitting — endurance is what the IS has been about all along. While rivals are downsizing, hybridizing, and in some cases vaporizing entirely, Lexus has doubled down on what made the IS great in the first place: a front-mounted V6, a proper rear-wheel-drive chassis, and a driving position that whispers, “Go on then.”

All F SPORT, All the Time

The big news? The IS lineup has gone full F SPORT. Every model now looks, feels, and drives like it’s been spending weekends at track days. The familiar 3.5-liter V6 soldiers on with 311 horsepower and 280 lb-ft of torque, paired with an eight-speed auto for rear-drivers or a six-speed if you insist on all-wheel traction. Sure, the numbers haven’t changed — but it’s not about numbers. It’s about attitude.

And attitude is what the new Wind paint color and Radiant Red interior scream from the rooftops. The IS on display at Road Atlanta looks like it’s just stepped off a Tokyo concept stand: red-painted calipers, dark gray 19-inch alloys, triple-beam LEDs, and those staggered-width tires that hint at a chassis ready to play.

A Cockpit for the Modern Samurai

Inside, Lexus has quietly dragged the IS into 2026. The cabin now centers around a crisp 12.3-inch touchscreen running the latest Lexus Interface system — fast, logical, and mercifully less shouty than some German setups. The seating position is still spot on, the materials feel expensive, and the new color options make the place feel less like a banker’s lounge and more like a driver’s den.

From Trackside to Showroom

The IS 350’s debut also doubles as a celebration of Lexus Racing’s presence at Petit Le Mans. While the brand’s RC F GT3s battle it out in the GTD PRO and GTD classes, fans can wander over to the Lexus Racing Experience to see the IS up close. And if you’re lucky enough to snag an invite, Lexus is hosting a Sunday event where Richard Hollingsworth and factory drivers will walk guests through the car’s finer details. Expect polished shoes, strong coffee, and maybe a whiff of race rubber in the air.

The Last of Its Kind?

The 2026 IS 350 might just be the last naturally aspirated, non-electrified, rear-drive sport sedan Lexus builds. And that gives it a certain magic. It’s not the fastest, or the flashiest, but it’s one of the few that still feels built by people who like driving.

Pricing and fuel numbers will arrive before its early 2026 on-sale date, but really — who cares? The point of this car isn’t efficiency. It’s faith. Faith that somewhere between the SUVs and the EVs, there’s still room for a proper driver’s sedan.

Source: Lexus

NEW CARS

The Lexus LS 500 Heritage Edition: A Farewell Ode to the Original Japanese Flagship

For nearly four decades, the Lexus LS has been the quiet disruptor in the luxury sedan hierarchy. When the original LS 400 debuted in 1989, it rewrote the rules of refinement, leaving Europe’s aristocratic sedans scrambling. Thirty-six years later, the LS 500 AWD Heritage Edition arrives as both a tribute and a coda—a limited-run, mono-spec model meant to honor the sedan that put Lexus on the map. Only 250 examples will be built, priced from $99,280, and they’ll land in dealerships this fall.

This is not just another trim package. The Heritage Edition is Lexus carefully curating the LS story into a single, distilled expression of what made the nameplate iconic: meticulous craftsmanship, serene luxury, and power delivered with whisper-quiet composure.

Dressed in Black, Red, and History

The exterior makes its intentions clear. A new paint finish, Ninety Noir, is an obsidian-like black that swallows light and emphasizes the sedan’s fluid proportions. Subtle darkened moldings and garnishes eliminate flash in favor of quiet menace. The 20-inch split-spoke alloys, now finished in Dark Gray Metallic, walk the line between elegance and aggression, and like all LS wheels, they’re engineered to hush road noise.

Step inside, however, and subtlety gives way to drama. The Rioja Red leather interior—an LS first—turns the cabin into a bold statement piece. Heritage Edition badging, etched into the center console and embroidered into the headrests, reminds passengers they’re sitting in something rare. Lexus also brings in its Laser Special Black wood trim, paired with Ultrasuede headliners and visors. It’s tactile theater—subdued where it needs to be, extravagant where it wants to be.

Technology Meets Tradition

As expected from Lexus’s flagship, the Heritage Edition loads on both tech and creature comforts. The panoramic glass roof and Mark Levinson 23-speaker, 2,400-watt surround system transform long drives into rolling sanctuaries. The Panoramic View Monitor and Advanced Park tech add ease to urban maneuvering, while heated rear seats and powered buckle lifters remind you Lexus never forgets about second-row passengers.

The infotainment suite runs through a 12.3-inch touchscreen, backed by the latest Lexus Interface. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard, as is a Digital Key function that allows smartphone-based entry and sharing. Cloud navigation, Intelligent Assistant voice commands, and over-the-air updates ensure this final LS isn’t stuck in yesterday’s tech.

Safety remains paramount, with the Lexus Safety System+ 3.0 suite bundled in. Features such as Emergency Driving Stop, Curve Speed Management, and Left Turn Oncoming Vehicle Detection show just how far active safety has evolved since the LS’s conservative beginnings.

The Numbers Still Matter

Beneath the hood, the 3.4-liter twin-turbo V6 delivers the same 416 horsepower and 442 lb-ft of torque as the standard LS 500, paired to a 10-speed automatic. All-wheel drive with a Torsen limited-slip center differential provides both security and composure. Lexus claims a 0–60 mph time of 4.6 seconds, proving this sedan still has the reflexes to back up its flagship status.

Drive modes range from Eco to Sport S+, but true to LS character, the emphasis isn’t outright aggression. Instead, Lexus engineers have fine-tuned the turbos’ wastegate control, piston design, and exhaust note for near-silent cold starts and seamless power delivery. It’s still a car more about silk than shock.

Why This Heritage Matters

The 2026 LS 500 Heritage Edition is not a revolution. It doesn’t try to outgun German V8s or chase the electric future head-on. Instead, it’s a carefully considered farewell—an homage to a sedan that once stunned the industry by proving luxury could be both uncompromising and rational.

For those lucky enough to secure one of the 250 units, the Heritage Edition isn’t just a luxury sedan—it’s a rolling time capsule, a nod to where Lexus came from, and a reminder of the craftsmanship-first philosophy that made the LS a legend.

And in the crowded luxury arena, that might be the most exclusive luxury of all.

Source: Lexus