Coming later this year: the “Lexus experience” in a hybrid. (Photo: Adam Bird for The New York Times)Since 2000, Toyota has offered only one hybrid-electric car designed from the wheels up to be a hybrid: the Toyota Prius. But late this summer, Lexus will get its own dedicated hybrid, the HS250h.
Toyota introduced the HS250h on Sunday at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, calling it the “world’s first dedicated hybrid vehicle.” Or, as some car buffs have named it, “the Lexus Prius.”
Mark Templin, the general manager of Lexus, insists that his vehicle is not simply tarted up Prius. “If all you care about is m.p.g., go buy a Prius,” Mr. Templin said in an interview.
What Lexus customers want in their hybrid is the “Lexus experience,” said James Lentz, the president of Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. He and Mr. Templin defined that as a quiet car, filled with the latest technology and creature comforts like heated seats. The company will also offer owners free loaner cars, a free car wash and other extras at Lexus dealerships.
Mr. Lentz said Toyota aims to sell about 30,000 HS models a year. The HS is the fourth model with a hybrid engine to be sold by Lexus, but the first that was conceived purely as a hybrid. At Lexus, it will fit into the lineup between the IS, a small performance sedan aimed at younger buyers, and the ES, which is its bread-and-butter luxury car and one of the two original Lexus models.
The HS will be equipped with a 2.4-liter, 4-cylinder engine — the first to be offered at Lexus — which generates 187 horsepower. The model name, by the way, stands for “hybrid sedan” with the little “h” on the end because every Lexus hybrid has a little “h” at the end, Mr. Templin said. (He agreed that it didn’t make a whole lot of sense.)
Mark Templin, the general manager of Lexus, said that Lexus buyers want a car filled with the latest technology and creature comforts like heated seats. (Photo: The Associated Press)Although it does not share a body style with any other Toyota model, Mr. Templin said it has some underpinnings from the Toyota Avensis, a car sold in Europe. Matt Hardigree on Jalopnik.com called it a “Prius for the country club set.”
Toyota didn’t estimate the HS’s fuel efficiency, but Mr. Templin said it will get better miles per gallon in city driving than the Smart car, which is a fraction of the size of the HS. That’s in the neighborhood of 33 m.p.g. Its price probably also will be in the $30,000-plus range, although Toyota isn’t saying yet what it will cost.
The need for a dedicated Lexus hybrid became apparent over the past few years, when sales of the Prius began to climb as gasoline prices set new records.
Prius customers included many Lexus owners (including me) who were eager for better gas mileage, but weren’t satisfied with the fuel economy ratings on vehicles like the 400h, the hybrid-electric version of the Lexus RX. “Had a Lexus hybrid existed, they would have bought a Lexus instead,” Mr. Lentz said.
Mr. Lentz said that in the past, Toyota stressed the performance of its Lexus hybrid models — almost to a fault. In 2006, it claimed the Lexus LS 600 hL, an ultra-luxury hybrid sedan, would take the brand “where it had never been.”
That stratosphere apparently is too high for many potential hybrid customers, a reason why Lexus finally is adding a 4-cylinder engine to its offerings. (Car buffs may recall that the original Lexus LS featured a V-8 engine that Toyota then claimed was equal to the engines developed by German manufacturers.)
Still, it may be a challenge for Toyota to lure some Prius owners back. Mr. Lentz said 70 percent of them buy another Prius, the highest owner loyalty rate at Toyota and in the car business.
13 Comments
Why not a plugin all electric lexus to compete with the Tesla models that get 200 miles+ on a single charge”?
Mass produced they should be relatively reasonable priced. Anything less than $50K would sell like hotcakes.
Plug ins are the way to go until we perfect fuel cell tech to extend the range before charging/fueling up to, say, 400 miles
Maybe GM can leapfrog Toyota by building a plug in luxury sedan that’s mass produced in the USA and has an extended range!
— Nick LentoI bought a Prius in August 2007 for my 80 mile-per-day commute to work and back. It has been averaging between 49 and 51 mpg with every tank full. I didn’t buy it for its looks, comfort, or amenities. I bought it because I knew that gasoline would keep increasing in price (the current lull is only temporary). However, I ended up really liking the car. The sound system is excellent, it’s comfortable, and fun. I can afford a Lexus, but I don’t think I would trade the additional 16 mpg I’m getting for a 33 mpg Lexus Prius. And, paying an additional $10,000 for the privilege is another turnoff. So, I agree with gentlemen from Lexus - if you’re interested in mpg, but a Prius. I will continue to do so, thank you very much.
— AbarafiFYI.
— Merilee JanssenWhen is the average person going to have the choice of a simple non-luxury, compact hybrid?
— NkirvI see good business in this. Those upper middle class people (liberals who have money) who would’ve previous bought entry level ‘luxury’ brands are now driving around in a Prius. A dedicated eco Lexus will capture some of that market - the current eco alternative is a SUV and sports sedan.
— H Tran“Why not a plugin all electric lexus…”
Battery cost & production capacity, for one. With the batteries needed for one pure electric car, you could build maybe 5 plug-in hybrids, or 20 regular hybrids.
“When is the average person going to have the choice of a simple non-luxury, compact hybrid?”
In the year 2000…
— JamesThe Ford Fusion is getting rave reviews as a midsize reasonably priced car. It gets 700 miles to the tank with it’s hybrid and seems to be a fun drive.
USA!
— Derek WashingtonIf someone’s gonna buy a green car, they’re going to go for mileage. Luxury car buyers aren’t going to shoehorn themselves into a cramped vehicle like the HS250. Why doesn’t Toyota get it? Green car buyers don’t want performance, which is why customers are going to opt for the Ford Fusion hybrid over the Toyota Camry hybrid, even though the Ford comes with 40 less horsepower and less performance. Toyota should have learned from Honda: remember when Honda offered that performance-oriented Accord hybrid? Canceled it due to lack of consumer interest: people who drive hybrids want mileage, and they’re generally not conventional auto enthusiasts so they don’t care about power and performance. By the way, Ms. Maynard, thanks for ongoing coverage of Prius and other green cars.
— BlimpieI spoke to Doug Coleman today from Toyota Corp. He worked on the new 2010 Prius and told me that if I want a sunroof in the new car, then I can’t get fog lamps. The car will come with 3 packages and the package with the sunroof does not include fog lamps.
He said if enough people complain about the omission, then Toyota will include the fog lamps. Doug’s number is 310-468-2306.
— William KayenI’m not so sure Lexus’s new hybrid will sell all that great. I think it would’ve done well in July when gas prices were $4.00 a gallon, but now they’re down to around $2.00. Plus with the bad economy, luxury automakers are really struggling, because luxury cars cost like 40k and above. That’s why I’m not so sure.
— CraigAnyone seen the new 2010 Toyota Prius? I predict that its sales will be down. 1st, it just got uglier. 2nd it has the new Honda Insight as competition.
— CraigPlease make a luxury Prius type car. I want a spacious interior, luxury finishes, quiet cabin with MPG between 40-60.
I just traded in my ‘99 LX 300RX with a 195,000 miles on it and bought a 2007 Prius. I averaged 19.5 mpg in mountain driving on the LX300RX. I was extremely happy with the RX.
With my odometer tipping close to 200K, I have been researching my next car for almost 2 years. No other car made sense to me but the Prius.
I for one would have bought a luxury hybrid with great MPG but there was not one available. I like the quiet and design, of LX vehicles. The road noise in the Prius is more than I like, the finishes are cheap.
I for one am gas and eco conscious but love my creature comforts. It sounds like the next LX hybrid will be more like a luxury Camry with similar MPG, not a luxury Prius.
I agree with the gentleman who traded his LX for a Prius. Getting an addtional 16 mpg than the projected MPG of this new model is hard to give up.
And how about the space of the hatchback? It is such a well designed interior. I gave up looking at other great MPG cars because of the lack of interior space.
And pulling into a parking space is a breeze. No more squeezing out of the car because there is not enough room.
This car acts like a compact but it is roomy. Even my husband whose 1st car is a Jag is impressed.
Please make a luxury Prius type vehicle.
— ChristineI LOVE THE LEXUS PRIUS!!!!!!!!!! I CAN’T WAIT TO GET THE NEW ONE!!!!!!!!! I HAVE THE ‘04 MODEL OF THE LEXUS PRIUS, BUT THIS ONE LOOKS SOOOOOOO MUCH BETTER
— Craig