Nine years on the production line — and the Lexus LS still refuses to retire. Lexus has not changed the generation, but it has given the flagship's chassis a meaningful overhaul. From September 10, the updated sedan goes on sale in Japan from 14.14 million yen. The most interesting changes are hidden inside the body: engineers have further reinforced the center tunnel and added the REDS system to the rear braces.
What does it do? REDS is a damping structure that uses a thermosetting resin. Lexus applied it to braces around the rear suspension and luggage compartment to suppress high-frequency vibrations. At the same time, the adaptive AVS suspension and EPS electric power steering were retuned. The goal sounds simple but is hard to achieve: make steering responses feel more natural and reduce both pitch and body roll in the heavy sedan.
For the LS, this is no revolution. It is another step in a years-long fight for every last nuance from the same platform. Back in the 2023 update, Lexus stiffened the body for sharper responses, including a brace around the radiator support. Now the engineers have moved on to the center tunnel and fine vibration control. At this point, the changes are less about parts than about how the car feels.
The exterior clues are easier to spot. A large LEXUS wordmark replaces the old badge at the rear. The panoramic roof can now be ordered across the range, while a front mesh deflector is intended to cut wind noise with the roof open. Executive versions also gain a wider choice of cabin colors that can be paired with decorative glass panels finished in the Kiriko style.
But the bigger change is in the lineup: the gasoline LS500 has effectively left the stage. Lexus's Japanese website now marks it as discontinued, leaving the LS500h with its 3.5-liter V6 and hybrid system at the center of the range. The updated official price list starts at 14.14 million yen for the rear-wheel-drive LS500h F SPORT and reaches 18.05 million yen for the all-wheel-drive EXECUTIVE.
Even so, the September 10 update is about the current LS, not the future family Lexus has already begun to rethink far more radically. With the LS Coupe Concept, the company is experimenting with a very different approach to interiors and materials. That makes the 2026 update look like a deliberate extension of the fifth generation's life — no dramatic redesign, but serious work on the body and chassis. This old flagship clearly has not said its last word.
