Lexus · LS

Lexus LS 5th generation (XF50)

Years: 2017–present
Chassis: XF50
Drivetrain: FR / 4WD

Image: Tokumeigakarinoaoshima / CC BY-SA 4.0

Story

It was developed under the demand to surpass the impact of the first LS. Although a four-door sedan, it was given a coupe-like form, and only one body length was offered.

Stories

An engineer whose life was set by the first LS sets out to surpass it

While studying electronic engineering in graduate school, Toshio Asahi saw the first LS and was struck that a maker could build such a beautiful sedan, and that became his reason for joining Toyota. When Asahi was put in charge of developing the fifth generation, president Akio Toyoda asked him to "build a car that surpasses the impact of the first LS." Asahi believed it had to change boldly, and aimed for a sedan with a flowing shape while keeping the roominess a flagship needs.

Toshio Asahi

Chassis

Front

Multi-link

Rear

Multi-link

Curb weight: 2,150-2,410kg

Production plants

Tahara Plant
Toyota / Tahara, Aichi

US import eligibility

Earliest cars: Eligible from October 204225 years after sales began in October 2017
Last cars: Still in production

Eligibility depends on each car's month of manufacture on its build plate, not on the sale dates shown here (NHTSA).

Japanese cars by US import year →

Engineers

Toshio Asahi

Development lead for the fifth-generation Lexus LS. He has said that seeing the first LS while studying electronic engineering in graduate school struck him, and that it was the reason he decided to join Toyota.