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http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/2/Japanese_Flag_30x22.jpg The $35,000 HS 250h ($40,000 fully loaded) seems to be targeting a pretty narrow demographic of people that don't mind the Toyota Corolla-ish styling. (http://www.dailytech.com/Lexus+HS+250h+Dedicated+Hybrid+to+Get+34+MPG+Combined/article15237.htm)

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/HS_250h_Interior.jpgBrandon Hill - Daily Tech (http://www.dailytech.com) - May 26, 2009

I don't know how many buyers this car will find, but if it gets them out of sub 20mpg territory... --Ed.

Toyota first introduced its latest hybrid back in January at the Detroit Auto Show. The Lexus HS 250h joins other hybrid family members which now include the GS 450h, RX 450h, and the LS 600h L.

Toyota is now allowing the press to finally drive the new HS 250h and Autoblog was given the opportunity to get behind the wheel. Despite previous reports likening the HS 250h's platform to the Toyota Prius, Lexus is pointing out that the vehicle shares more in common with the Toyota Avensis which is available in Europe -- the second generation Avensis platform currently underpins the Scion tC which should be more familiar to residents of the U.S.

More important, however, is the 3,682-lb HS 250h's powertrain and fuel economy since the vehicle is after all a hybrid. The HS 250h is powered by a 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine which produces 147 HP -- the gasoline engine is joined by an electric motor and 245-volt battery pack which brings total system power to 187 HP.

The system in return allows the HS 250h to achieve 35 mpg in the city and 33 mpg in the highway (34 mpg combined). For comparison, the subcompact Honda Fit gets 25 mpg in the city, and 35 mpg on the highway.

When it comes to performance, Autoblog says that the vehicle can reach 60 mph in 8.4 seconds and can travel at up to... http://www.dailytech.com/Lexus+HS+250h+Dedicated+Hybrid+to+Get+34+MPG+Combined/article15237.htm

Any idea what kind of size class this car falls into? Is it similar to a Prius, larger like the Camry or smaller like the Corolla?

They've got some pretty silly discussions going on in the comments thread on that page.

Corolla, I believe.

I would probably buy the ford fusion hybrid over this car. The fusion is a bit bigger, a bit more powerful, a bit cheaper, has better FE and to my knowledge has about the same number of luxury features/options. The only reason I could see for getting this car is "it's a lexus."

Corolla, I believe.

Yes, I think both the HS and the IS are based on the Corolla chassis, although clearly there are many differences.

I can't remember the name, but I think this is the model in Japan which is in between the corolla and camry.

In that price range, just give me a Prius III with all the bells and whistles. I don't need no stinkin' 187hp. I barely need my 110hp. (And I actually don't need all the bells and whistles, either!)

I can't remember the name, but I think this is the model in Japan which is in between the corolla and camry.
I think it's similar to the Avensis from Europe, which is somewhere between Corolla and Camry size.

Any idea what kind of size class this car falls into? Is it similar to a Prius, larger like the Camry or smaller like the Corolla?

They've got some pretty silly discussions going on in the comments thread on that page.
silly discussions indeed.