For Lexus fans, today’s reveal of the 2027 Mercedes-Benz S-Class might have made you recall that Lexus recently cancelled the LS sedan. The two were long time competitors and this is the first time in 36 years that there is no “Japanese S-Class” to do battle with the standard bearer from Stuttgart.
Seeing that the 2027 S-Class is a major refresh of the W223 2020+ model made me wonder what the LS would have looked like if Lexus took a similarly evolutionary approach instead of cancelling its flagship.
The good news? That already existed as the Lexus LS+ Concept.
The bad news? It was never produced.
Debuting shortly after the production LS 500 sedan, the LS+ Concept aimed to show what an LS from the not-so-distant-future might be like, namely with autonomous driving technologies. Looking at the body lines of the concept, it’s clear this is an evolution of the fifth generation LS with revised front and rear ends, and sharper lines.
Much of the technology from the LS+ Concept later came to market in the 2020 LS 500h with the “Lexus Teammate” level-2 semiautonomous driving technology. Unfortunately, the dramatic styling never made it to a later production LS.
With that in mind, let’s take a moment to remember and appreciate the LS+ Concept… and what could have been.
RIP Lexus LS sedan.