Lexus is on the precipice of a massive reset, presaged by not one, not two, but three LS concepts revealed at the Japan Mobility Show (JMS) today. These vehicles seek to reimagine the flagship luxury sedan that has defined the brand since it burst onto the scene in 1989.
To wit, Toyota’s premium offshoot claims that the LS moniker no longer stands for “luxury sedan” but “Luxury Space”. Nothing espouses this notion quite like the LS Concept – a six-wheeled (!) MPV that is set to sit above the already-plush LM.
Toyota’s chief branding officer Simon Humphries says the addition of two wheels enables the four rear wheels to become smaller, maximising floor space. That means the seven people on board (yes, this car still seats three rows of occupants) can mill about in utmost comfort.
Taking advantage of this radical rethink, the LS Concept’s design is all diagonal lines and brutalist forms. The front end repurposes the brand’s trademark spindle grille, consisting of intersecting L-shaped light bars that make up the entire fascia. Having dispensed with the L logo at the rear with the new ES, the LS ditches the badge entirely in favour of the Lexus script.
Along the side, the body-coloured section sweeps upwards over the rear wheels, punctuated by transparent slits that afford a modicum of outward visibility for the rear occupants while maintaining privacy. Twin illuminated longitudinal glass roof openings open up the cabin to sunlight, while the rear end is defined by U-shaped full-width taillights framing an extruded split tailgate, which slides upwards and downwards.
Step inside past the gargantuan sliding doors and you’ll find tall benches with integrated headrests across all three rows, with the second row – the one for the towkays, obviously – being able to recline and having ottomans to lounge in.
By contrast, the front occupants sit far forward with their legs past the front wheels, almost like a forward-control van or lorry. The passenger gets nothing; the two wraparound displays (one for the instrumentation and infotainment, the other for the rear camera) are stacked ahead of the driver, one on top and behind the other. A limited amount of physical controls line either side of the steering yoke.
Next is the LS Coupe Concept, an SUV that Lexus says caters to those who like driving as much as being driven. Looking nothing like the aforementioned MPV, it features a sleeker, more conventional design with the brand’s current “spindle body” front design, arrow-shaped lighting, curvaceous side surfacing and an arching low-slung roofline.
There are lots of neat touches, including transparent wheel covers, suicide doors, a pair of helix-shaped…things where the door mirrors would normally be (quite how will they be able to relay the view of the car’s sides is beyond us) and a sliding door in lieu of a boot lid, powering downwards to reveal the boot in concert with the also-sliding load floor.
Inside, the LS Coupe Concept retains the LS Concept’s stadium-style driver displays and steering yoke. In keeping with the car’s driver-focused bent, the most important seat in the house is upholstered in black; all the other pews are white, with vertical screens mounted behind the front seats. Atop the rear windscreen lies a four-rotor drone – similar to the one found on the Lexus Sport Concept at The Quail earlier this year, which is also present at JMS.
By far the most zany of them all, however, is the LS Micro Concept. Looking all the world like an LS Concept for ants, this is a three-wheeled, fully-autonomous personal mobility vehicle that is able to transport a single occupant in the lap of luxury.
To that end, the passenger sits far back in the cabin, cocooned by the bluff sides and surrounded by a pair of armrests and an upright front windscreen that doubles as the infotainment display. The throne-like seat slides forwards to aid entry and egress, accompanied by the glass canopy sliding upwards and the front panels flipping up and down.
Although the Micro Concept is likely a fanciful proof of concept, the LS Concept and LS Coupe Concept look to be further along in development. No timeline has been given for their respective production debuts, but with the fifth-generation sedan already being discontinued in Europe and the US, expect its replacements to arrive sooner rather than later. Are you excited or appalled? Let us know in the comments.
GALLERY: Lexus LS Concept 
GALLERY: Lexus LS Coupe Concept 
GALLERY: Lexus LS Micro Concept 
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