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I just don't see it. This is just anecdotal guessing based on cars you just...see driving around.
There's no army of loaded LS430 owners that bought the cars brand new and have kept them for 25 years just waiting to buy a brand new LS if only it returns to the LS430 format. There might be a few, but the vast majority of flagship luxury buyers traded those things in for the next hot thing after 2 years of ownership. They're driving German flagships now, or luxury SUV's.
I have maintained this position for years. The drivers are all old. None are young like me, or very few. Nobody believed me about all the 200s either until they went to the southeast and saw tons… I’m not saying every single one is the original owner, of course not. But the Lexus dealer will tell you the same thing. After they try to buy it. People
hold onto these.. I see other 20 year old luxury cars like the w220 too. But LS430 overwhelmingly dominates because it never breaks and just drives the same seemingly forever.
You would be surprised at how many LS430s are around. Have you ever owned or driven or spent a decent amount of time in one? You’d see why people keep ‘em if I gave you my keys for 2 weeks. Even if it’s not your thing the luxury and comfort and serenity would pull on you. It’s a fantastic car to drive and cruise around in.
Like, the guy in my neighborhood who is in his 70s with the probably 700k house, I really doubt he went looking for a $12,000 used LS430. He bought one new and kept it.
EVs are dead, have been for years. We don't want them. People are rushing V8s back, lmao.
first off EVs are not dead, and have never been dead. but as you've said, most LS owners are old or very old, and you won't be young for much longer either.
lexus needs to make a statement again and a bev ls the perfect way. it would be quieter than any LS before. it would be faster. it will have better space efficiency. if they get their solid state battery tech going too, it will have PLENTY of range and fast recharging. in short, it can be amazing. no one at this point is going to think a V8 LS is amazing. in fact, it's pretty obvious lexus has zero interest in making a V8 LS.
you can wish for a v8 lexus sedan. i will wish for a flagship bev one.
I just don't see it. This is just anecdotal guessing based on cars you just...see driving around.
There's no army of loaded LS430 owners that bought the cars brand new and have kept them for 25 years just waiting to buy a brand new LS if only it returns to the LS430 format. There might be a few, but the vast majority of flagship luxury buyers traded those things in for the next hot thing after 2 years of ownership. They're driving German flagships now, or luxury SUV's.
In my area (Virginia-D.C. suburbs), never mind the 430........I still see some old LS400s running around, which shows you how well they were built. One of my neighbors in my condo development had one until he moved away a few years ago...took the LS with him.
While I agree with you that there is not necessarily an "army" of them as such, I also tend to agree with AJT that there are probably more of the old LS-faithful still around than some are willing to think.
Yeah but the problem is the 250 ain't THAT much cheaper than the 200 which is vastly superior. At least IMO.
Its vastly cheaper then the LC200, at sticker and is kitted out from the factory like most of the 10th owners would do before they overland their 200s.
Factory power source, rugged interior bits, tons of overlanding kit from the factory parts catalog, and even omitting those failure prone fancy power seats for manual seats.
In my area (Virginia-D.C. suburbs), never mind the 430........I still see some old LS400s running around, which shows you how well they were built. One of my neighbors in my condo development had one until he moved away a few years ago...took the LS with him.
While I agree with you that there is not necessarily an "army" of them as such, I also tend to agree with AJT that there are probably more of the old LS-faithful still around than some are willing to think.
I think as we age, the LS type vehicles with its low entry height becomes less and less popular.
Even mmarshall went for a CUV, I assume for that ease of entry.
So which brings back to the point of an LS and whether a comfy cushy luxury barge still in fashion?
Internally, they have moved on, as we see with the Century no longer being a sedan but rather a TNGA-K super CUV.
I think as we age, the LS type vehicles with its low entry height becomes less and less popular.
Depends. Some seniors are quite short, and it's actually easier for them with a low-slung sedan.
Even mmarshall went for a CUV, I assume for that ease of entry.
Ease of entry was part of it, but, in my case, the main reasons were for maneuverability, All-Wheel-Drive, and easy-parking. I always liked the ride-comfort of a large, softly-sprung sedan (and still do), but the driving/parking conditions I now routinely face every day put a stop to it.
So which brings back to the point of an LS and whether a comfy cushy luxury barge still in fashion?
For some people.........definitely.
Last edited by mmarshall; Apr 21, 2025 at 10:43 AM.
In my area (Virginia-D.C. suburbs), never mind the 430........I still see some old LS400s running around, which shows you how well they were built. One of my neighbors in my condo development had one until he moved away a few years ago...took the LS with him.
While I agree with you that there is not necessarily an "army" of them as such, I also tend to agree with AJT that there are probably more of the old LS-faithful still around than some are willing to think.
Saw one yesterday and a couple last week. There’s one I wouldn’t mind taking a closer look at. They also own a 3rd gen Tundra and I want to say I’ve seen a GX460 there as well.
Its vastly cheaper then the LC200, at sticker and is kitted out from the factory like most of the 10th owners would do before they overland their 200s..
They’re like 75k loaded. A 100 was 85k. The engine in this sucks and sounds like a bees nest, it’s slow, and ugly. Here’s one…
Originally Posted by coolsaber
I think as we age, the LS type vehicles with its low entry height becomes less and less popular.
Even mmarshall went for a CUV, I assume for that ease of entry.
So which brings back to the point of an LS and whether a comfy cushy luxury barge still in fashion?
Internally, they have moved on, as we see with the Century no longer being a sedan but rather a TNGA-K super CUV.
After 4 back surgeries entry and exit is fine in the LS.
i do think there'd be some market for a return to form LS 400/430 type LS, however i just don't have confidence in current toyota to execute the car in a manner that'd be necessary for it to be worthwhile
the brand is just too diversified now and i believe current leadership won't see any reason to switch things up as long as the money is still coming in... lets all just be grateful we were here to experience this:
before the acura-fication set in and toyota no longer wished to compete with benz and bimmer
If Toyota were to reboot the LS about the only thing that makes sense, and to my mind it makes a lot of sense, is to reboot it as an EV with segment-busting NVH levels. Levels so low that you'd think you were wearing noise cancelling headphones in an anechoic chamber. An extraordinarily quiet, extraordinarily smooth and effortlessly fast EV reboot would be the ultimate expression of the original LS philosophy. And as someone who bought the last year LS430 before the LS460 debuted, this is the car that would make me interested in a reboot.
If Toyota were to reboot the LS about the only thing that makes sense, and to my mind it makes a lot of sense, is to reboot it as an EV with segment-busting NVH levels. Levels so low that you'd think you were wearing noise cancelling headphones in an anechoic chamber. An extraordinarily quiet, extraordinarily smooth and effortlessly fast EV reboot would be the ultimate expression of the original LS philosophy. And as someone who bought the last year LS430 before the LS460 debuted, this is the car that would make me interested in a reboot.
agreed on this
toyota didn't develop the 1UZ because they thought their target clientele saw intrinsic value in 8 cylinders arranged in a V with 4 camshafts, but because that's how they knew to deliver the most refined and serene driving experience while still maintaining a high level of performance, and THAT is what early LS buyers wanted
the LS becoming full EV makes more sense than whatever it is they tried with the LS 500, again i'm just not sure toyota will be willing to put in such an effort after seeing sales of this current model
I have maintained this position for years. The drivers are all old. None are young like me, or very few. Nobody believed me about all the 200s either until they went to the southeast and saw tons… I’m not saying every single one is the original owner, of course not. But the Lexus dealer will tell you the same thing. After they try to buy it. People
hold onto these.. I see other 20 year old luxury cars like the w220 too. But LS430 overwhelmingly dominates because it never breaks and just drives the same seemingly forever.
You would be surprised at how many LS430s are around. Have you ever owned or driven or spent a decent amount of time in one? You’d see why people keep ‘em if I gave you my keys for 2 weeks. Even if it’s not your thing the luxury and comfort and serenity would pull on you. It’s a fantastic car to drive and cruise around in.
Like, the guy in my neighborhood who is in his 70s with the probably 700k house, I really doubt he went looking for a $12,000 used LS430. He bought one new and kept it.
Why would I want a 430 when an S-class does everything better though?
first off EVs are not dead, and have never been dead. but as you've said, most LS owners are old or very old, and you won't be young for much longer either.
lexus needs to make a statement again and a bev ls the perfect way. it would be quieter than any LS before. it would be faster. it will have better space efficiency. if they get their solid state battery tech going too, it will have PLENTY of range and fast recharging. in short, it can be amazing. no one at this point is going to think a V8 LS is amazing. in fact, it's pretty obvious lexus has zero interest in making a V8 LS.
you can wish for a v8 lexus sedan. i will wish for a flagship bev one.
Thats about their only chance too.....to bad Lexus won't I the needed thing of a 1200hp minimum flagship to really stand out again.
Again, I was one of the first one to predict the LS500 will be the last one.....like 6 years ago.
All I said was that gives me a teeny amount of hope. Lexus LS is a huge name, even if nobody wants the current garbage in the showrooms.
Well, you made a good prediction then, but it's becoming reality now.
Check this out:
IS500 - OUT - no 2026 model
RC - OUT - no 2026 model
LX - OUT - no 2026 model. I heard there will be some bespoke "goodby" limited editions, and then that's it.
LC - OUT - no 2026 model. Unless they do some bespoke "goodby" limited editions, and then that's it.
LS - OUT - no 2026 model. Unless they do some bespoke "goodby" limited editions, and then that's it.
but........
TZ - The all-new TZ, all electric 3 row SUV will be assembled in Princeton, IN with battery from the new Toyota battery plant in NC. It'll look like the GX and the TX had a baby. No trim level info yet. But at some trim level or variant, it will stand in for the LX as the Flagship SUV.
ES - All elec. only. Several versions coming, but the most powerful AWD version will be the Flagship sedan for now. That's a 2026 model year.
RZ- New battery packs and charging upgrades, bring RZ to competitive ranges. Arriving this summer as a 2026 model year.
LFA - The second generation is planned for release in 2028. It's to be the first Lexus production car with the solid-state battery, at a "price-accessible" MSRP starting north of $250,000.00.
Don't shoot the messenger here!
It's plain to see that in North America at least, big ICE engines are out.
If you want one, I think you might want to consider starting shopping immediately.
Didn't read the whole thread as this dropped while I was away, but I personally don't buy this. "We have no plans" can change at any times when plans are made, note there was no discussion of any new LS generation.
Honestly I don't think there is much market for this vehicle anymore. The top player, the S Class sells 6-12k units in the US, 7 series is about the same (current gen is doing very well, outselling the S Class), I think most of the flagship sedan customers that are left are people who want the best and they aren't likely to go back to Lexus.
Most of these consumers lease, and I got numbers on the LS500, my S580 is only $350 more a month and I could have gotten a 7 Series for less than an LS500. LS is DOA at those deltas. If you could lease one for $1,000 a month again maybe, but $1,500? Buyers are going German.
If I'm already paying $1,500 whats another $350 for the real deal with a TTV8?
