The Devil Works Hard, But Whoever Is Keeping The IS Alive At Lexus Works Harder

Against all odds, the Lexus IS is soldiering on. The automaker unveiled a Special Appearance Package for the sport sedan this week, confirming that there will indeed be a 2027 model year of the IS — the thirteenth one of this generation. The Lexus IS is one of those cars that I'm always surprised to learn hasn't been discontinued every year. This third generation of IS got refreshes for 2018, 2021, and 2026, but it remains fundamentally the same car underneath. It also plays in a segment that's particularly tough for any vehicle that isn't one of the German Big Three, and the IS has seen many of its ilk come and go.

Its BMW 3 Series–challenging peers in the Jaguar XE, Infiniti Q50, Acura TLX, whichever Cadillac sedan you consider its equal, and the Volvo S60 (in North America, at least) have all either been canned or are about to be canned, while the Genesis G70 is no stranger to rumors of imminent demise.

As the name suggests, the new Special Appearance Package is purely about the looks. It incorporates a unique Envious Green paint color with black 19-inch BBS wheels that have a lovely new design. The black leather inside gets green stitching to match, and it gets the model's Handling Package with the adaptive suspension and Torsen LSD, as well as the Technology Package standard. This special green IS will be limited to just 350 units for all of North America, by the way, which means even fewer are reserved for the U.S. once Canada and Mexico get their share.

As of 2026, the IS only comes as the IS 350 F Sport powered by a 3.5-liter naturally aspirated V6 with 311 horsepower — yes, fundamentally the same motor that's been in this car since 2005. You can have it with rear-wheel drive with an eight-speed automatic or all-wheel drive with a six-speed automatic.

The special edition '27 model was unveiled at an event called the IS 25th Legacy Tour. We were not in attendance, but I imagine it was a party that involved many IS owners and a general air of "Heck yeah, we can't believe we're still making this thing either," on the part of Lexus. At this point, I feel like the car's age is a feature, not a bug for its fans, and Lexus knows this.

In the first half of 2026, Lexus sold 14,071 of these in the U.S., up 42% year-over-year. For comparison, BMW moved 18,731 units of the 3 Series (also up 32% versus last year) throughout all of North America over the same period, so the delta is definitely smaller if you isolate for just the States.

So, yeah, when Lexus inevitably announces the virtually unchanged 2028 IS a year from now, and you find yourself wondering, "Damn, why do they still make this?" The answer is simple: because people still buy 'em.