RIP Lexus LS

I was shocked to find out this week that Lexus will discontinue the LS after a 36-year production run.

I suppose it shouldn't be a surprise considering the longstanding rise in popularity of all things trucks and SUVs but for some reason I thought Lexus could somehow keep the LS as a symbol of what a luxury sedan could be.

Rather than simply announcing the discontinuation through a press release, Lexus has tactfully created a special "Heritage Edition" for its last production year in the U.S., limiting it to 250 units while never mentioning the word "discontinued".

While I was never in the market for a LS, or anything Lexus for that matter, I still admired the technology and marketing that Toyota put behind it. The amount of engineering—some might say over-engineering—was necessary to win the hearts and minds of potential American and European luxury car buyers. Designers spending two years examining 24 different types of wood for the interior before finally choosing California walnut for its finish and splinter resistance was a detail that I always remembered.

Early commercials like "Balance", "Wind Tunnel" and "Railroad" were simple but effective visual examples that could clearly show what made the LS special.

My only experience with Lexus was driving with my boss from Subway in his first-generation LS-400 during high school. I remember being impressed once the door was closed and the outside noise was immediately silenced.

The current-generation LS design dates back as far as 2017 but it had a refresh in 2020. While the exterior looks great IMO, the interior is no longer cutting edge in technology or features. For a $100,000 car, I would expect a larger touchscreen, ambient lighting, and Tesla/Rivian-style integrated 360-degree dashcam. You can choose a dash cam as an accessory, but it's a little-known aftermarket brand using less than the latest-generation image sensor technology.

Regardless, Toyota should be proud of the LS's decades-old production run. Rumors are that the LS badge might be repurposed for an electric suite of vehicles sometime in the future.

Destroying an LS-400 in Street Fighter II (1991)