It sure looks like we’ve come to the end of the line with the Lexus LS. After launching it 36 years ago for the 1990 model year, the automaker looks to be offering the LS a fond farewell with the 2026 LS 500 AWD Heritage Edition. Just 250 examples will head to our shores, and they’re priced at a rather steep $99,280, including destination.
The Heritage Edition is slated to be the only LS model available when production ends this fall, according to Lexus. To mark the occasion, the Japanese automaker is going all out with… black paint. Okay, to be fair it’s special black paint. Lexus is calling it Ninety Noir, and it pairs with dark trim pieces and 20-inch alloy wheels finished in Dark Gray Metallic. The interior gets taken up a notch with a special Rioja Red interior, a first for the LS. It’ll also get etched Heritage Edition emblems on the center console and embroidered silhouettes of the LS stitched into the headrests.
You won’t be shocked to learn that this LS comes kitted out with a panoramic glass roof, wood trim, Ultrasuede headliner, a 360-degree camera, heated rear seats, a 12.3-inch touchscreen, a head-up display and a 23-speaker 2,400-watt Mark Levinson stereo system, among a slew of other options. Under the hood, you’re not going to find anything out of the ordinary. All Heritage Editions come with the same twin-turbocharged 3.4-liter V6 you’ll find in the regular LS 500. That’s not exactly a bad thing, though. The stout motor pumps out a healthy 416 horsepower and 442 pound-feet of torque. With the help of a 10-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel-drive with a limited-slip differential, the big bruiser of a sedan can get from 0 to 60 mph in just 4.6 seconds.
What comes next
It’s hard to say exactly where the Lexus LS goes from here. Sales have been iffy to say the least. In 2024, Lexus sold 2,163 LS in the U.S., and through June of 2025, it sold just 691 of them. Comparatively, Mercedes-Benz sold 8,810 S-Classes in 2024.
I wouldn’t be wholly surprised if Lexus brings about a successor to the LS at some point, but I’ve got a feeling it won’t be for a little while. Lexus is very clearly playing its cards close to its chest. When I asked a spokesperson if the Heritage Edition represented the “end of the LS line for Lexus,” they simply responded that it was “the final offering for the current generation LS,” giving no indication of what might come next.
The LS is arguably Lexus’ most important vehicle — after all, the LS started the whole brand off in the late 1980s. While it would be a shame to see the LS go away, I can understand that the automotive world has mostly moved on from this type of vehicle. I suppose time will tell.
