Detroit Preview: new Lexus dedicated hybrid, the HS250h
click to enlarge speculative rendering
The relationship between Lexus and its hybrid-only line has been speculated about for some time. The high-end Toyota brand has now confirmed that the HS250h, the first dedicated hybrid Lexus model, will be shown at the Detroit Auto Show in concept form. We've seen a rendering (above) of what this vehicle might look like, but we'll most likely have to wait until the Lexus press conference to see the real deal. The Lexus website is nothing but a tease at this point.
As for when the HS250h might hit sales floors, Paul Tan says it'll be in North American showrooms in about a year. The car should have a 2.4 liter four-cylinder Atkinson cycle engine and probably the same hybrid setup as the Toyota Camry hybrid. Car and Driver estimates the HS250h will get somewhere around 40 mpg.
[Source: Car and Driver, Paul Tan]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Nick 2:37AM (12/28/2008)
What's an Atkinson cycle engine?
Is this car based on the upcoming Prius?
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Chris M 3:52AM (12/28/2008)
The original Atkinson cycle engine used an ingenious and complicated linkage between the piston and flywheel that made the intake and compression strokes shorter than the power and exhaust strokes. This allowed it to extract more energy from the expanding hot gas, making it more efficient. Unfortunately, that linkage made it more expensive, so it didn't catch on.
Decades later, an engineer named Miller realized that he could get the same improvement in efficiency in a conventional engine by delaying the closure of the intake valve, so part of the intake air gets pushed back out, effectively shortening the compression stroke. The Atkinson-Miller engine is more efficient but produces less torque than conventional Otto cycle engines, that isn't a problem for hybrids as the electric motor can provide extra torque.
Matthew 8:06AM (12/28/2008)
I absolutely will buy this car. This is what I need...a mid- sized luxury car thats in the 40k range, and gets ~40mpg. I think I would be more willing to buy this than the upcoming Chevy Volt, seeing how they will be in the same price range. The Volt will be a totally different breed of Hybrid, but this will act more like a normal car. If Toyota can get this into marketin 12-18 months, then excellently done Toyota!
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BoneHeadOtto 1:40PM (12/28/2008)
"This is what I need"
why do you need a luxury car? They cost more, weigh more, and will get you less mileage.
Charlie 12:57PM (12/28/2008)
Interesting car and I hope it does well for them. However, when I heard that Toyota was coming out with a dedicated Lexus hybrid, I was hoping that they would take the opportunity to try some more advanced/expensive technologies as long as the car is already in a higher price range than the ~$24k Prius.
Wouldn't the Lexus brand be a great place to test things like plug-in hyrbids and "exotic" aerodynamic profiles that cost a lot of money to implement?
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andrew 12:44AM (12/29/2008)
i think Lexus took some serious styling cues (from the b-pillar forward) from the current honda civic... either the civic has sophisticated looks or this thing is going to be ridiculed for being styled after a economy car...
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