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New Delhi: Lexus have decided to pull the plug on their luxury flagship sedan, the LS, after it spent 36 years in the portfolio of brand. This was the very car that gave fierce competition to Europe’s top luxury carmakers during the 90s. As a last tribute, it will have a final firing with a limited-run Heritage Edition.
It brought a lot of industry class and benchmark in terms of refinement, reliability and luxury, but without any of the fuss and fragility that was prominent in the segment. It was in the clever bits that it thrived and not in flamboyance. In 1989, Toyota’s luxury division brought the LS 400, and with its build quality, refinement and technology that looked promising in front of its German rivals, coming with ABS and traction control, which were still rare features.
It was codenamed “Circle F” and involved thousands of engineers and technicians, and close to 60 designers. It was able to stand with amazing pricing and reliability, and craftsmanship. In five generations, the LS only kept updating with the industry standards, going down to the hybrid generation.
In the final version, it will be the 2026 LS 500 AWD Heritage Edition, priced around Rs 82 lakh and comes with a 23-speaker Mark Levinson sound system and unique cosmetic touches. It will be limited to just 250 units, and though made only for the US market, it will be the end of an era.
Where it stands out is that most modern luxury sedans like the Mercedes S-Class and BMW 7 Series had to up their game after the arrival of the Japanese rival. It was given that the Japanese engineering would stand out, but in terms of luxury, it was the first of its kind, and that made everyone raise their eyebrows.
