Lexus Cancels The Slow-Selling LC Hybrid For 2026

Last week, Lexus announced a spate of updates to the gorgeous LC 500 coupe and convertible for 2026, but it didn’t make any mention of the gas-electric LC 500h. That’s because the hybridized hardtop is dead after the 2025 model year. According to a report from The Drive that we were able to independently verify with a Lexus representative, the LC 500h will not return to the company’s lineup when the 2026 LC arrives at dealer showrooms, meaning the sporty two-doors will be among the few Lexus models not to offer an electrified powertrain.

The Hybrid Suffered From Incredibly Slow Sales

The death of the LC 500h shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise, given it was far and away the least popular Lexus vehicle offered in recent years. Through the first half of 2025, the company only found homes for seven hybrid LCs, compared to the 783 V8-powered coupes and convertibles it sold in the same time period. The story’s almost as bleak for full-year 2024 sales, during which Lexus moved 18 LC 500hs compared against 1,446 LC 500s total – this despite strong hybrid sales overall. It’s possible that low demand could stem from the fact that Lexus only offers the hybrid V6 500h as a coupe, while the V8-powered 500 comes in both shapely coupe and glamorous convertible form factors. But it’s more likely that the echelon of buyer looking for a flagship sports car isn’t as impressed by a hybrid’s green credentials.

To wit, the LC 500h offered a commendable 29 miles per gallon combined from its electrified 3.5-liter V6 – compared to just 18 combined for the LC 500 – and the hybrid also makes a reasonable 354 horsepower between the gas engine and two electric motors. Performance is even pretty brisk, thanks to a novel electric CVT/four-speed automatic transmission combination that provides more direct throttle response and greater torque multiplication than a conventional CVT. But it seems as though Lexus LC buyers still find the seductive soundtrack and rev-happy thrust of its 5.0-liter, 471-hp V8 more appealing than the hybrid, which is objectively fine but subjectively lacking.

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Lexus’ Expansive Hybrid Lineup Shrinks By One

Of course, the death of the LC Hybrid means that the rest of the coupe lineup will be internal combustion–only for 2026. The LC should be one of only three Lexus models not to offer a gas-electric variant for the 2026 model year, alongside the IS sport sedan and GX 550 SUV. After that, however, it’s anyone’s guess as to the LC family’s fate. The sporty coupe and convertible are rumored to get the axe entirely after the 2026 model year, which would be terrible news for aesthetes everywhere.

The forthcoming Lexus LFR may scratch whatever itch the LC’s potential departure inspires, especially given its powertrain may combine hybrid thrust with the sultry singing voice of the 5.0-liter V8. At its debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed last weekend, the Toyota GT Coupe concept – widely believed to be the basis for the LFR – made lovely music during its run up the hill, meaning if it is indeed a hybrid, it should avoid the fate that befell the LC 500h.

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Source: Lexus, via The Drive