Is Lexus bidding farewell to the car that started it all?
Almost forty years ago, Toyota introduced a new luxury marque to the automotive world, bearing the name of Lexus, and it completely shook the luxury car arena to its core. The car that was responsible for doing that was the LS, a full-size luxury sedan that offered impeccable engineering and sumptuous luxury at an undercutting price. An instant hit, the Lexus LS sedan made way for an entire lineup of Lexus models that would not only be popular luxury cars but write chapters of automotive history of their own, like the RX crossover, the LFA supercar, the IS sports sedan, the GX off-road-ready SUV, and many more.
Being the car that took the first steps in blazing the trail of Lexus’s legacy, the LS is an incredibly special and important model for the brand, and also a celebrated flagship that has continued to personify automotive luxury excellence over the years. However, for the 2026 model year in the United States market, the Lexus LS is being offered in a single spec: the new 2026 Lexus LS 500 AWD Heritage Edition, which is limited to only 250 units in the US, and is described by Lexus as “a final year tribute to the car that launched the brand.”
That sounds like a farewell, and if it is, the Lexus LS is going out with a bang, with the 2026 Lexus LS 500 AWD Heritage Edition paying tribute to the LS’s important role in bringing the vision of Lexus to life. It’s finished with a Ninety Noir exterior, a color that is being introduced to the Lexus palette for the first time for the model, with a Rioja Red interior that is being used in the LS for the first time in the Heritage Edition.
In accordance with a special edition of a luxury sedan flagship, standard features include a panoramic glass roof, Laser Special Black premium wood trim, heated rear seats, a power lift-up buckle, and a Mark Levinson sound system with 23 speakers. With plush features, stunning design, and a loving tribute to the car responsible for starting everything for Lexus, the 2026 Lexus LS 500 AWD Heritage Edition, if it is a farewell for the LS, is a proper one.
Image Source: Lexus
