Confirmed: Lexus to build Prius-based hybrid
by Jeremy Korzeniewski on Oct 2nd 2008 at 4:21PM 
It's been rumored and alluded to so many times that we just began accepting it as fact, and now it is: Toyota has confirmed that Lexus will indeed get a version of the Toyota Prius. Based on the third-generation of the Prius hatchback that is set to debut in January at the Detroit Auto Show, the Lexus is expected to be a bit less fuel efficient, a bit more sporty and a lot more opulent. We have no idea what Toyota's luxury division will charge for its new hybrid, but it'll definitely be sold for a premium over its Toyota sibling.
A second dedicated hybrid model will join the new Lexus Prius. Lexus officials in Paris for the Motor Show have confirmed that it will not be sold in Europe alongside its upmarket Prius, which will show up in Europe in 2010. The reason? Its carbon emissions will be too high, which doesn't exactly bode well for fuel efficiency. One more salient detail was slipped, the third-gen Prius will emit 92 g/km of CO2, and a new low-emissions version will have CO2 emissions of 89g/km, which does indeed bode well for its mileage. We'll see how all of this translates early next year.
[Source: Automotive News - sub. req'd]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Turbofrog 4:38PM (10/02/2008)
Seems to me that manufacturers are missing an opportunity to go balls-out with green technology that is too pricey for economy models like the Prius. Ultra luxury and high-tech in a compact, efficient package...seems like it could find a few buyers.
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Zach 9:41AM (10/03/2008)
Thats stuff is basicly just batteries and carbon fiber though, and then you just get into the whole Tesla "Is it really just redistrubiting the bad" argument. (Well, it gets worse than it was for just regular hybrids.)
Dave 9:13PM (10/02/2008)
I'm surprised that no-one has jumped on the hint that the next gen Prius should be solidly in the mid-low 50mpg range.
That's a substantial improvement over the current model (~15%).
Hypermilers ought to be able to get 70mpg plus without much trouble in the next Prius.
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IQR 12:37AM (10/06/2008)
That is not enough. I am expecting more than that.
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Rob 6:13PM (10/09/2008)
yeah, who's impressed with a car that uses 23% less fuel than the second most efficient car on the market (civic hybrid) despite being larger and faster? 60% less fuel consumption than the US average 22mpg car is not such a big deal ;-)
Maybe the plug-in version that cuts the average drivers fuel consumption in half again will meet your expectations. That would bring you to 80% less fuel consumed than the average US car.