The relentless pursuit of hybrid perfection ... a Lexus Prius?
Most anybody with a bit of automotive knowledge is aware that Lexus is owned by Toyota, and that they have a history of taking vehicles designed as Toyotas and adding technology and content to the platform in an effort to raise the status (and price) of the original platform. This way, Toyota is able to stretch some of the money that goes into creating a vehicle's underpinnings by recycling them and offering them at a higher price at another dealership. Other automakers do the same thing, but Lexus really sets the standard that the others are judged by differentiating their vehicles better (*cough*... Mercury, Lincoln... *cough*) and fostering brand loyalty by offering a better ownership experience and reliability (haaaa-Cadillac-a-chew!) than the vehicles they were originally based on.
That said, is Lexus ready to offer a version of the next generation Toyota Prius? Some sources are suggesting just that. Currently, Lexus offers hybrid versions of some of their existing platforms and focuses on the additional performance that the drivetrain can offer while not decreasing fuel economy. What might they do with the Prius as a starting point? Inquiring minds want to know...
[Source: Autoblog]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Tim 1:09PM (6/29/2007)
No plug? NO SALE!
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Karkus 1:47PM (6/29/2007)
It's great to hear the Lexus is coming out with a hybrid that is expected to be on the inexpensive side (instead of their current hybrids which are totally loaded and overpowered).
The article above doesn't seem to mention whether it's a plugin or not, so the comment above seems a little out of place.
It's unfortunate that some people won't buy the current hybrids (which are doing quite well) just because they're not prefect in their minds. If everyone acted that way, we'd still be in the stone age. Cheers to those early adopters who bought the first (less than perfect) Prius or Insight. Without them, we wouldn't have the wide choice of 2nd gen hybrids today, and no one would be developing plugins either.
Why keep driving a gas guzzler when you could have a 50 mpg car right now? For example, you'll waste much less gas driving a 50mpg vehicle for 10 years starting now, than you would driving a 25 mpg gas guzzler for 5 and then getting a 75 mpg plugin for 5 years.
The more hybrids you buy now, the more incentive car companies will have to develop the technology further (i.e. plugins, etc). Perfectionist attitudes won't get us anywhere.
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Ping Wang 1:48PM (6/29/2007)
@Tim
meanwhile, other consumers are snatching up Priuses as they come off the line.
I also want plug-in; but remember that the only reason automakers(GM) are even considering to make plug-ins is because the Prius is selling so well.
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Tim 3:41PM (6/29/2007)
Ping Wang- I'll wait as the e-Flex series PHEVs. Why? Well, the future is all electric cars and it’s very difficult to get anywhere in the US (even a few miles) without using the highway system. Parallel systems like the Prius (even with plug-in capability) must use petroleum to cruse at highway speeds because they are designed backwards with large IC engines and small “helper” electric motors.
Once e-Flex comes online people will quickly become accustomed to all electric drive. Passenger vehicles with parallel systems will not easily transition to all electric and thus will rapidly become obsolete. Their owners should expect to take a big hit on resale value as if they are trying to resell a record player or 2 year old computer. Toyota is about to get leapfrogged in a BIG way and apparently they don’t even see it coming! GM learned the hard way… you snooze, you lose!
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Karkus 5:45PM (6/29/2007)
Sure, GM's e-FLEX sounds great, but how soon will it really be available? If you look a how delayed the GM hybrid system is, the e-Flex is going to take about 5 years. By then, Toyota will have a 3rd (or 4th gen) hybrid (proven very reliable) while GM will release a first gen system. Which would you feel more comfortable buying?
Even then (maybe 2012?), the majority of cars will still be regular old ICE engines (look at ANY projection of car sales), so saying Toyota's hybrids will be left behind is just silly. Hybrids will still be way ahead of most cars regardless of what GM does. And there's no way that Toyota is just ignoring what GM does.
I support GM's system and hopes it sells well. In fact, I support any clean, high MPG cars, whether they're electric, diesel, hybrid etc. and don't understand why people are so adamant about putting other technologies down. But any new car propulsion system that enters the market is going to take many years before it gains enough public acceptance and before production can be increased enough for sales to even reach a percent of cars on the road.
And by the way, the HP of the Prius electic system (67hp) is almost as much as the engine (76hp) and it has WAY MORE torque than the ICE.
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Tim 6:02PM (6/29/2007)
Karkus- If you check out the reports from the e-Flex battery manufacturer’s, BOTH will have full working packs the meet or exceed GM’s specifications in GM’s hands BEFORE the end of this year. http://www.gm-volt.com/ It’s no longer a question of IF, but WHEN e-Flex will arrive and this will be the beginning of the end of parallel hybrid family cars.
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Chris M 9:47PM (6/29/2007)
There is a small but rapidly growing market for highly fuel efficient luxury cars, and I see no reason why Toyota/Lexus wouldn't take a commanding lead there.
Toyotas "Hybrid Synergy Drive" could be updated by using a more powerful battery and moto/generators, and a different gear ratio in their planetary power split to achieve a much higher "electric only" speed. Since transmitting power from the IC engine mechanically is more efficient than electrical transmission, the parallel/series Hybrid Synergy Drive could get better fuel economy than the serial only E-Flex design. So, Tim, I wouldn't rule out Toyota in the race to "plug-in"
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