Lexus has retired the LC, with production of the coupe and convertible concluding in August 2026 and the 2026 model year standing as the final one. The company has replaced the car’s configurator presence with a farewell message describing the LC as “gone, but never forgotten,” closing out a run that began with the 2018 model year.
The decision became public in January, when a letter sent to dealers on January 23 titled “2026 MY LC500 & LC500 Convertible End of Production” surfaced online. Lexus subsequently confirmed the discontinuation in an official statement, saying the brand continually evaluates its model mix against consumer demand, and that production would run through the end of August 2026.
The LC traces back to the LF-LC concept shown in 2012, which generated enough response that Lexus committed to a production version styled closely after it. The production LC500 debuted at the 2016 Detroit Auto Show and reached customers in 2017 as a 2018 model, serving as the first vehicle on the GA-L rear-drive platform that went on to underpin the LS. The convertible joined the lineup for 2021, engineered to preserve the coupe’s driving character with the roof removed. The LC500h hybrid was dropped from the US lineup after 2025, having sold 251 examples over its entire run.
Power in the LC500 comes from the naturally aspirated 5.0-liter 2UR-GSE V8, producing 471 hp and 398 lb-ft through a 10-speed automatic, good for 0 to 60 mph in 4.4 seconds in the coupe and 4.6 in the convertible. The hybrid paired a 3.5-liter V6 with two electric motors for 354 hp combined and introduced the brand’s multi-stage hybrid system. The LC’s retirement also ends production of the 2UR-GSE, and with the RC F and IS 500 already phased out, it leaves Lexus without a V8 model in its US lineup.
Sales were never the point, and the numbers reflect it. U.S. deliveries across the model’s life topped 15,000 units, with 2021 the best full year at 2,782 cars and recent years running between 1,200 and 1,400. Lexus positioned the LC as a flagship showcase rather than a volume model throughout.
The 2026 model year included a final pair of Inspiration Series editions, with the coupe limited to 200 units in North America in Smoke Matte Gray with a carbon fiber roof and 21-inch matte black forged wheels. For its last year, the LC500 coupe started at $101,700 and the convertible at $109,200, both including destination.
