5th Generation (2018+) Lexus LS 500 & LS 500h Megathread

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Levi

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He probably regrets every time he sits in his LFA and sees the Lexus badge…

The GR GT is his vindication.
 
mikeavelli

mikeavelli

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Ali Manai said:
Well most people gloss over a simple fact lexus was made primarily for the US market as in most Asian and European markets Toyota is still considered a mid tier luxury brand but the US was different and Toyota struggled to sell it's luxury cars under the toyota brand of which the prime examples were the toyota mark II, cresta and chaser which failed in the US. Lexus has always been a side project it was only after 2005 Lexus got some more specialities after introduction in Japan and that stayed true until 2020 where we got those awesome models with Gs f, Lc, Lfa and more. After covid everything changed and since Lexus was primarily focused on the US middling policy and uncertainty have greatly undermined product planning add to that changing customer taste and akio's attitude the brand has pretty much regressed except for the 3 or 4 best selling nameplates under lexus. So they decided to move all the experimental ev crap under lexus brand and now lexus is mostly a test bed for future toyota products. There is still some resistance to Toyota in luxury and that is the only reason lexus name exists but given that they haven't properly launched the crown brand even in asia still leaves some hope for lexus
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Well the thing is Lexus isnt USA focused as much. 20 years ago probably 80% of the sales was in the USA. Today that number is about 40-45%. Thus we lost some voice even though we are still their biggest market.

@Gecko made the suggestion once that the LS almost made a better GS. I think that would have worked then have the LS H or whatever it was called built.

Though I guess Century will fill that role now. Not sure
 
DarkSpace6383

DarkSpace6383

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mikeavelli said:
Well the thing is Lexus isnt USA focused as much. 20 years ago probably 80% of the sales was in the USA. Today that number is about 40-45%. Thus we lost some voice even though we are still their biggest market.

@Gecko made the suggestion once that the LS almost made a better GS. I think that would have worked then have the LS H or whatever it was called built.

Though I guess Century will fill that role now. Not sure
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Century won't fill the role imo. Look at BMW and Rolls Royce for example. BMW has the 7 series, but the company they own, Rolls Royce, is still a tier above. The goal of Century is to compete with Bentley and (eventually) Rolls. It's not an LS replacement.
 
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Falcon

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A flagship minivan LS and a flagship SUV LS are going to vastly outsell a flagship sedan LS.
 
DarkSpace6383

DarkSpace6383

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Falcon said:
A flagship minivan LS and a flagship SUV LS are going to vastly outsell a flagship sedan LS.
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Yeah the way things are going, LS is going to become a series of models. It's also clear that we aren't going to get a sedan soon (though hoping we get it one day). In my head the flagship lines look like this:

LS_ = Flagship Comfort
LF_ = Flagship Sport
LX = Flagship Offroad
 
CRSKTN

CRSKTN

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DarkSpace6383 said:
tbf he also brought lexus to stardom with the LFA. I dont think its fully Akio's fault but im not denying the fact that he did play a role.
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This is thinking i will never understand.

Are you people under the impression this guy is designing cars and engineering s***?
 
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Ali Manai

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So bmw and mercedes have just facelifted the 7 series and S class guess they are the only ones left in this segment
 
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Levi

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Genesis G90 and Kia K9, but a generation or two behind in terms of tech and performance.
 
DarkSpace6383

DarkSpace6383

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Levi said:
Genesis G90 and Kia K9, but a generation or two behind in terms of tech and performance.
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G90 will probably be updated. I don't really count the K9. The A8 is on a hiatus, but they confirmed a new one comes at the end of the decade. The Q9 was once rumored as its successor but Audi confirmed it isn't. Either way, RIP Lexus.
 
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LCLFV

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Ali Manai said:
So bmw and mercedes have just facelifted the 7 series and S class guess they are the only ones left in this segment
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The problem is that there's a more than a handful of cars with similar missions to those two coming out of China, and that's the primary target market of the S-Class and 7 Series. Honestly they're both going to die the moment they lose relevance in China.


You could also count the EQS but that's on even more borrowed time.

Levi said:
Genesis G90 and Kia K9, but a generation or two behind in terms of tech and performance.
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K9 is pretty much dead, but ironically the G90 might survive for a while. It's one of the few LWB sedans that isn't reliant on the Chinese domestic market and occupies a similar position in South Korea to the Century sedan, even though it is higher volume relative to that. No worries about the GV90 killing it either because that's BEV only.
 
LexDDas

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Screenshot 2026-05-15 at 10.09.13 AM.png
Sad, but the LS is officially off the website. Odd to announce the 2026 Heritage edition, and then take it off the website completely and so quickly. The true end of an era.
 
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