Rumours of the Lexus LC’s demise have circulated for the best part of the past year, with reports of parent company Toyota developing a new platform to underpin its front-engine, rear-wheel drive vehicles leading to a potentially early end for the existing two-seater.
It now seems the end is closer for the LC, after a spokesperson for the US division of Lexus confirmed to Road and Track the V8-powered LC500 will “officially be discontinued after the 2026 model year”.
This confirmation followed a leaked dealer bulletin appearing on social media platform Reddit, claiming the LC would go out of production for the US by September 2026.
Lexus has already slimmed down its LC lineup in the US, having axed the hybrid V6-powered LC500h for the 2025 model year, though the latest announcement brings the end of the current generation one step closer.
However, there are no official plans for the Lexus LC to be dropped from the Australian lineup as yet, with a spokesperson for the brand telling Torquecafe it doesn’t comment on future product speculation.
In 2025, Lexus sold just 56 examples of the LC in Australia, with 54 LC500 V8s and two hybrid LC500hs contributing to the total – making the latter Australia’s slowest-selling hybrid vehicle last year.
Despite its relatively low uptake, the LC isn’t even the slowest-selling Lexus in Australia, after the company delivered just 13 examples of its LS flagship sedan in 2025, as well as only 41 RZ electric SUVs.
The writing does seem to be on the wall for the LC though. Australia and Japan are now two of the few right-hand drive markets not to announce it wrapping up production, and even then it appears to be winding down in its home market.
In July last year, Lexus launched the Japan-only LC500 Pinnacle Edition, limited to 200 examples (100 coupes and 100 convertibles) as a swansong for the model.
The future of the LC nameplate hangs in the balance too, with last year’s reports suggesting it could be merged with the smaller RC – akin to Mercedes’s segment-blending CLE – on a shared Toyota platform.
At the top end of its lineup, Lexus is expected to launch a production version of the LFA Concept, an electric coupe running on the same all-new aluminium platform which underpins the twin-turbo V8 Toyota GR GT.
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