Just ahead of the 2025 Japan Mobility Show (formerly the Tokyo Auto Show), Toyota has released some details on what it plans to show on its home turf. One that particularly caught our eye was the Lexus LS Concept. While “LS” has been synonymous with “long and seriously luxurious sedan” for decades, the nameplate is being killed off after the 2026 model year and a run of Heritage Editions. Now, Toyota appears ready to dramatically alter what an LS can be with this six-wheeled van concept.
While it was only shown briefly thus far during a livestream, the LS Concept has already become somewhat controversial. Lexus fans were surprised to see the LS nameplate appear again so soon, but even more taken aback by what it was attached to. The can’s appearance was accompanied by an imagined text message conversation between Akio Toyoda and Takashi Watanabe—chief engineer and president of Lexus—in which Watanabe envisioned a new three-row battery electric vehicle (BEV). Toyoda’s response: “If we think of the LS as a BEV chauffeur car, it could become a new pillar of the Lexus brand in a new package that no one has ever thought of before.” Outside of those messages, no further details were provided, although we did catch glimpses of its radical looking wheels, a minivan-style sliding door, and three rows of captain’s chairs.
The radical idea comes as part of a reinvention of Toyota Motor Company that will kick off during the 2025 Japan Mobility Show. Also of note: While Lexus will remain a global luxury brand, it will no longer be the leader in extravagance, as that will be taken over by Century. Century is a nameplate long attached to a formal luxury sedan sold almost exclusively in Japan, but it now will be used on a lineup of vehicles intended to take the fight to Bentley, Rolls-Royce, and the like. As for the LS concept, it wouldn’t be the first highfalutin minivan from Lexus—the brand already sells the excellent LM—but it would definitely be the wildest.
AloJapan.com