The next big step in luxury motoring, it appears, is adding another axle to an already substantial vehicle. Lexus, which has long retailed a full-size luxury sedan under the ‘LS’ name, is aware that sedans are fast losing ground to the SUV craze, but instead of building an SUV with that name, the company has decided to go all out with a completely different body style – an MPV. The Lexus LS concept unveiled at the 2025 Japan Mobility Show is a van with six wheels, with two at the front, and four wheels at the back. It is a behemoth of a van, to put it simply.
Imposing front end with edgy lighting elements.
“Once upon a time, executive sedans ruled the automotive world. Now, they are fighting a losing battle with SUVs”, remarked Lexus Chief Branding Officer Simon Humphries at the unveiling of the LS concept. In the company's words, ‘LS’ no longer means luxury sedan or Luxury SUV. Instead, it denotes Luxury Space.
Four rear wheels are significantly smaller than the front wheels.
Freed by the rethinking of that abbreivation, Lexus chose to build a super-sized MPV, which, from the front, looks like several other Lexus concepts we've seen in recent times. It employs edgy styling, with slender LED lighting up front, with an illuminated Lexus wordmark sitting proudly on the nose.
It's in profile that the Lexus LS concept really stuns you. It is ultra-long – likely over 6 metres in length – with slim displays incorporated into the front doors. The front wheels – likely to be 21- or 22-inch units – are illuminated, as are the four, significantly smaller wheels at the back. The LS has sliding doors with what appear grille-type extensions in place of rear windows, to ensure privacy.
The LS concept dwarfs the likes of the Lexus LM and Toyota Vellfire.
The phrase ‘lounge on wheels’ gets thrown around a lot, but if there is one concept that has come closest to bringing that idea to life, it is this one. At the front, the Lexus LS concept has a yoke-style steering wheel, a handful of large, physical buttons, a wide infotainment screen and what appears to be a wraparound second screen right behind it.
Yoke-style steering and twin displays included.
The highlight, though is in the ‘VIP-centred’ second row, which replaces conventional captain chairs with what can be best described as a full-size lounge recliner. Even the third row of seats have an incredible amount of space – enabled by the fitment of smaller rear wheels. There's also a split, fixed glass roof, and the tailgate opens hatch-style to reveal a fairly roomy boot with wooden flooring.
Lounge recliner-like second row is built ‘for VIPs’.
At this time, Lexus has not mentioned if it intends to put the 6-wheeled van into production. However, given the wild popularity of the Lexus LM – which has been snapped up by the wealthy in India – and other luxury MPVs, it wouldn't be a surprise to see Lexus pulling the trigger and building a road-going version of this concept.
