The LC’s Exit Leaves Lexus Without a V8

Lexus planned to build its last LC in August 2026, and when the grand tourer goes, the brand’s last V8 engine goes with it.

The LC 500’s naturally aspirated 5.0-liter V8 makes 471 horsepower at 7,100 rpm and 398 lb-ft of torque at 4,800 rpm, and it sends that power to the rear wheels through a 10-speed automatic. Lexus had already retired its other V8 cars, with the IS 500 gone after the 2025 model year and RC F production ending in late 2025, so the LC coupe and convertible were the final places to buy an eight-cylinder Lexus.

The Car Guide reported in February that LC production would end in August and that the car would not return after the 2026 model year. Lexus told U.S. outlets, including Car and Driver, that it "constantly evaluates its model mix and strategy" to meet customer demand, and it did not name a direct replacement. The LC launched as a 2018 model, and the convertible joined it for 2021. A V6-based hybrid with 354 total horsepower was also offered until the end of the 2025 model year.

The IS 500’s exit was spelled out when Lexus revealed the 2026 IS, which TFLcar noted comes only as the IS 350 with a 311-horsepower V6 because "the V8 is no longer available." AutoGuide reported that RC and RC F production ended in late 2025.

Interest in the LC didn’t collapse at the end. Toyota Motor North America’s 2025 sales release shows 1,464 LCs sold in the U.S. in 2024 and 1,286 in 2025, and the company’s third-quarter 2026 report shows 1,124 sold through September, up from 1,004 in the same period of 2025. September alone brought 104 sales, more than double the 50 sold a year earlier.

Lexus gave the final year a send-off with the Inspiration Series, limited to 200 coupes in Smoke Matte Gray and 350 convertibles in a gray called Wind. Lexus’s 2026 price sheet lists the LC 500 coupe at $103,400 and the convertible at $110,900, including delivery.

Nothing confirmed points to a V8 coming back. AutoGuide’s February report on a possible hybrid coupe to replace the LC and RC, which came from Japan’s Best Car magazine, said a V6 hybrid is the likely powertrain and called a return of the 5.0-liter V8 unlikely. The Car Guide noted that the electric LFA Concept shown in December 2025 has not been confirmed for production.

The Toyota Report Take

The LC 500 was the most beautiful car Lexus has built since the original LFA, and its V8 was a big part of why people loved it. Losing the engine was probably inevitable as the industry moves toward hybrids and EVs, but the rising sales in its final year suggest there were still buyers willing to pay for it. Lexus will have a harder time giving its next halo car the same character with a V6 hybrid or a battery pack.