When Lexus rolled three radically different concepts onto the floor of the 2025 Japan Mobility Show, each wearing the LS badge, the message was clear: the future of luxury isn’t about four doors and a trunk anymore. A six-wheeled van with a convertible day bed in the third row. A single-seat autonomous pod that looks like it escaped from Minority Report. An SUV coupe that might actually see production. These are Lexus’s answers to a market that no longer wants what the LS was built to be.
Designer: Lexus
The context makes the radical pivot necessary. Much like Taylor Swift, the Lexus LS was born in 1989 and went on to redefine its category, but unlike the pop icon, the luxury sedan’s star has dimmed considerably in recent years. The brand sold fewer than 3,000 units annually in the US for the past three years, losing market share even against rivals facing the same headwinds. In September, Lexus announced a “final year tribute” for the existing fifth-generation car, effectively confirming what industry watchers already knew. The sedan era is ending, but the LS name still carries tremendous cachet and brand value as the badge that launched Lexus itself.
Rather than let that heritage fade, Lexus chose to reimagine what “LS” could mean. The three concepts presented in Tokyo replace “Luxury Sedan” with “Luxury Space,” each interpreting that brief in dramatically different ways.
The Six-Wheeled Van That Dares to Dream
The LS Concept, revealed via teaser images a couple weeks before the show, represents the most audacious reinvention of the luxury minivan formula yet attempted. This isn’t a tarted-up people mover with captain’s chairs and a nicer badge. This is a six-wheeled statement piece that looks more like a land yacht than a family hauler, with proportions that dwarf the luxury minivans currently popular in markets like China.
Much of that impact comes from the wheel configuration itself. Four smaller wheels cluster at the rear while two larger ones handle steering duties up front, creating what observers have called a “backwards Tyrell P34 look.” It’s probably the only time a Lexus van will be compared to a 1970s Formula 1 car, but the reference fits. The wheel arrangement does more than look interesting. The additional rear wheels potentially distribute weight more effectively across the long wheelbase required for three comfortable rows, while the larger front wheels maintain steering precision and road presence.
The exposed wheel arches feature chrome or polished metal trim that catches light and emphasizes the mechanical complexity underneath, celebrating the engineering rather than hiding it behind body panels. Sharp character lines run the length of the vehicle’s flanks, creating distinct upper and lower volumes. The greenhouse sits atop a substantial lower body, with blacked-out pillars creating a floating roof effect that’s become common in luxury vehicles but feels fresher here thanks to the unconventional proportions. The front fascia maintains Lexus’s spindle grille signature but stretches it horizontally rather than vertically, creating a wider, more planted stance that suits the van’s substantial dimensions. LED lighting elements integrate into the bodywork with minimal interruption, suggesting a future where lighting becomes part of the surface rather than discrete components bolted to the structure.
Inside, the LS Concept seats six across three rows, with the first row offering a somewhat bench-like layout while the second and third rows feature individual thrones upholstered in what appears to be premium materials. The interior demonstrates a deliberate progression from functional to luxurious as passengers move rearward, with the driver zone maintaining traditional automotive ergonomics while the rear rows transition into lounge-style seating that prioritizes comfort over conventional automotive packaging. The material palette appears to blend warm earth tones in the seating surfaces with cooler metallic accents on structural elements, creating separation between soft touch points and hard architecture.
The third row takes the concept furthest, with armrests that detach to allow the seats to convert into a reclining day bed configuration. The leg rest extends while the seat backs transition closer to flat, creating a genuine rest space rather than the token reclining function found in conventional three-row vehicles. This transformation suggests Lexus studied yacht interiors and private aviation more than automotive precedents, prioritizing the ability to fully relax during extended travel over maximizing passenger count.
The lighting design throughout the cabin uses vertical striping patterns that echo traditional Japanese shoji screens, with illuminated surfaces creating ambient glow rather than point-source lighting. These vertical elements repeat on the exterior as well, establishing a consistent design language that bridges interior and exterior spaces. The dashboard features nested screens in a layered configuration that suggests depth rather than the typical flat panel array, with physical controls integrated around the displays rather than banished to capacitive touch zones. Despite the futuristic styling, this isn’t an autonomous fantasy. The LS Concept features a proper steering wheel flanked by a pair of screens and a pleasing number of actual physical buttons, suggesting Lexus envisions this as something a human would actually drive.
The Micro: When Personal Mobility Gets Absurdly Personal
If the six-wheeled van represents luxury maximalism, the LS Micro swings to the opposite extreme. This single-seat autonomous vehicle exists as pure concept exploration, the kind of mobility solution that automakers love to sketch but rarely build.
The Micro appears to run on three wheels based on the revealed images, with a vertically oriented battery pack or cargo compartment mounted along its spine that can slide out for easy access. This central spine element serves as both functional storage and visual anchor, creating a clear organizational logic for the compact vehicle’s interior packaging. The exterior surfaces flow in continuous curves broken only by minimal character lines, with the transparent canopy creating an almost bubble-like greenhouse that maximizes interior volume perception while maintaining a compact exterior footprint.
The seating position looks genuinely comfortable rather than compromised, with a warm cocoon-like environment and touchpad controls integrated into both armrests in a configuration that recalls Captain Picard’s chair on the bridge of the Enterprise. The seat itself appears to wrap around the occupant in a 270-degree embrace, with padding that extends beyond typical automotive bolstering to create a genuine relaxation space rather than just transportation seating. Lexus even managed to fit multiple cupholders into the compact package, a luxury amenity not afforded to Galaxy-Class starship captains. The material treatment suggests a mix of technical fabrics and soft leather, with the touchpad controls finished in what appears to be brushed metal or high-quality plastic that maintains tactile feedback despite the digital interface underneath.
The color palette inside the Micro stays deliberately neutral, with warm beiges and soft grays dominating to create a calming environment rather than the typical concept car explosion of saturated hues. Ambient lighting appears integrated into the structural ribs of the canopy, washing the interior with indirect illumination that changes the space’s mood without creating harsh shadows or glare. The exterior styling leans heavily into sci-fi territory, with smooth surfaces and minimal details that wouldn’t look out of place in Minority Report, though given that film is now set just 29 years in the future, perhaps that’s less of a compliment than it once was.
Lexus describes the Micro as “micro-mobility that allows you to move freely in small streets and alleys of cities” and “a relaxing space for a new value of private travel experience.” That use case suggests ride-hailing services in dense urban environments rather than personal ownership. Given the autonomous technology requirements and the narrow market appeal, both scenarios remain theoretical for the foreseeable future. The Micro’s compact dimensions and autonomous capabilities could theoretically allow it to access areas traditional vehicles cannot, from pedestrian-friendly zones to narrow historic district streets. The single-seat configuration eliminates the social dynamics and scheduling compromises inherent in shared mobility, offering a middle ground between private car ownership and riding in someone else’s vehicle.
The Coupe: The One That Might Actually Happen
Of the three concepts, the LS Coupe stands the best chance of reaching production. Industry watchers have speculated for more than half a decade that the fifth-generation LS’s successor would take the form of a high-end crossover rather than another traditional sedan, and this concept bears all the hallmarks of that rumored vehicle.
The design melds the elevated seating position and easy entry of an SUV with the flowing roofline and proportions of a sedan, complete with a trunk rather than a hatchback opening, though Lexus describes it more as an extending shelf than a conventional cargo area. Four doors provide access to what appears configured as a four-seat interior, though the rear bench looks like it could accommodate a third passenger without much compromise. In a premium touch reminiscent of Rolls-Royce, the rear doors open backwards for easier entry and exit.
The interior continues design themes Lexus explored in the Sport Concept coupe revealed the same day, with a colorway divided between the driver and passenger areas to create distinct zones within the cabin. The driver side appears finished in darker, more focused tones that emphasize the task of driving, while the passenger side transitions to lighter, more relaxed materials that signal the leisure aspect of luxury travel. This asymmetric approach represents a departure from the typical automotive interior that treats both front occupants identically, acknowledging that driver and passenger have fundamentally different relationships with the vehicle.
The seating surfaces showcase what appears to be a combination of perforated leather in high-wear zones and smooth textile panels in areas that benefit from stretch and comfort. The perforation pattern isn’t just functional ventilation but creates a geometric texture that catches light differently depending on viewing angle, adding visual interest without relying on contrasting stitching or piping. The rear seats maintain the same material approach but appear to offer more adjustment range and cushion depth, confirming this vehicle prioritizes rear passenger comfort despite its four-seat configuration.
Nested instrument panel screens sit in front of a yoke-style steering control rather than a traditional wheel. The screen configuration potentially hints at a future instrument and infotainment layout designed to rival BMW’s Neue Klasse digital interface approach, though production versions typically dial back the concept car ambition. The layering of these displays creates a sense of depth behind the yoke, with primary driving information appearing to float in the foreground while navigation and vehicle status occupy background layers. Physical controls appear concentrated on the center console and steering yoke spokes, maintaining tactile interfaces for frequently used functions rather than forcing everything through touchscreen menus.
The exterior proportions demonstrate careful attention to the balance between SUV utility and sedan elegance. The roofline starts its descent behind the B-pillar, creating a fastback silhouette that maintains rear headroom while achieving a lower drag coefficient than a traditional SUV profile. The rear haunches swell slightly outward from the cabin, muscular shoulders that suggest performance capability without resorting to aggressive body cladding or fake vents. The wheel arches appear sculpted into the body rather than applied as separate elements, creating a cohesive surface that flows from front to rear without interruption. The strongest indicator of production intent comes from an observation about what the concepts include rather than what they promise. The LS Coupe features visible seatbelts in all the marketing imagery and show floor presentations, a detail neither the six-wheeled van nor the autonomous Micro show.
What Luxury Space Actually Means
These three concepts reveal Lexus’s challenge and opportunity in equal measure. The LS name carries enough brand equity to justify continuation, but the original brief no longer works in a market that has decisively moved away from large luxury sedans.
By reinterpreting the badge as “Luxury Space” rather than “Luxury Sedan,” Lexus creates room to explore what premium personal mobility could mean across multiple form factors and use cases. The six-wheeled van targets the ultra-luxury multi-passenger market that traditional minivans never quite captured, the Micro explores personal urban mobility as a premium experience, and the Coupe directly addresses the luxury crossover segment that has cannibalized sedan sales industry-wide. Whether any of these concepts reach production remains uncertain, but the LS Coupe’s seatbelts and rumors of a high-end crossover successor suggest at least one interpretation of “Luxury Space” will make it to dealerships.
Each concept also reflects different regional market priorities. The six-wheeled van speaks directly to Asian luxury markets where chauffeur-driven vehicles remain popular and rear passenger comfort takes priority over driver engagement. The Chinese market in particular has embraced luxury MPVs in ways Western markets never did, with vehicles like the Mercedes V-Class and Lexus LM commanding premium prices and generating substantial sales volumes. The Micro addresses urban mobility challenges most acute in dense Asian and European cities where parking costs remain prohibitive and congestion pricing schemes make large vehicles increasingly expensive to operate. The Coupe takes the safest bet by pursuing the luxury crossover segment that currently dominates premium vehicle sales globally.
Every luxury brand from Bentley to Rolls-Royce now offers or plans to offer a high-riding crossover, recognizing that buyers want elevated seating positions and practical cargo space more than they want low-slung driving dynamics. The LS Coupe’s sedan-influenced proportions and trunk configuration position it as a more sophisticated alternative to the increasingly common luxury SUV, offering crossover practicality without abandoning the design language that made Lexus sedans distinctive. For a nameplate that once redefined luxury sedans, this evolution from four doors to multiple futures seems fitting.
The post Lexus LS Goes Bold: Three Radical Concepts Redefine Luxury Space first appeared on Yanko Design.
