Lexus Prius is just the beginning; Lexus considering a hybrid-only line
Just the other day, Lexus' European head Andy Pfeiffenberger said that Lexus is in the hybrid market for the long term. The Japanese automaker is following Toyota, its owner, into the gas/electric waters head first with no plans to back out any time soon. In fact, a report in Japan's Nikkei newspaper suggests that Lexus would consider a line of vehicles solely powered by hybrid drivetrains. It's true that Lexus sales have slowed down rather dramatically in the last few months, a fact that Toyota blames on the global economic slowdown. Apparently, the Japanese giant believes that offering more hybrid models could be just what the doctor ordered to boost its lagging sales. Still, it would take years to make this transition happen. In the mean time, Lexus is planning on launching a few more models with hybrid power, most notably (as far as we know) a Lexus-ized version of Toyota's hugely successful Prius, a third generation of which is set to debut in January at the Detroit Auto Show.[Source: Just-Auto - sub. req'd]
Add your comments