Archives

The HS 250h is expected to retail in the mid-$30,000- to low-$50,000 range when it's available in late summer. (http://www.usnews.com/blogs/luxe-life/2009/01/13/lexus-debuts-first-hybrid-for-entry-level-luxury-market.html)

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/Lexus_HS250h.JPGKimberly Castro - U.S. News (http://www.usnews.com/) – Jan 13, 2009

Toyota is busy solidifying its dominance of the hybrid market... Will other companies be able to successfully challenge it? -- Ed.

With the Obama administration's new alternative and renewable energy plan—which includes efforts to put 1 million plug-in hybrid cars on the road by 2015—Lexus found an opportune time to unveil the HS 250h at the Detroit Auto Show. This is the luxury automaker's first hybrid designed for the entry-level luxury market. "Did you know that more than 60 percent of entry-luxury car buyers would have considered buying a hybrid if one had been available?" said Mark Templin, group vice president and general manager of Lexus after unveiling the new model.

The automaker says the HS, which shares a number of components with the latest-generation Toyota Prius, is the most fuel-efficient model currently in the Lexus lineup. Thirty percent of the interior and cargo area utilizes "carbon-neutral, plant-based" plastics, and 85 percent of the sedan, including the battery, is recyclable.

Slotted between the IS luxury sport sedan and ES luxury sedan, the HS 250h will have a four-cylinder 2.4-liter engine that produces 187 horsepower. Some of the technologies adopted in... http://www.usnews.com/blogs/luxe-life/2009/01/13/lexus-debuts-first-hybrid-for-entry-level-luxury-market.html

I find it kind of sad that there's no FE number in that article. Lexus hybrids haven't filled me with love for the company in the past - I was hoping that this one would.

Don't get me wrong - I think Lexus makes awesome cars. It's just that they seem to be polluting the idea of a hybrid by pushing the performance angle.

Well, I think during a recession, Honda will fare better than Toyota. The latter seems to think that people who don't have $35k to spend on a car don't deserve to get good gas mileage (especially now that the Prius-III is going to be at least $35k once the safety options are chosen). Honda, on the other hand, seems committed to building cars people can actually afford. the Insight-II will come in two flavors-- inexpensive and medium. the HCH is still a $24k car and thus reasonably affordable. The 2-door hybrid sports coupe (for 2010) will probably be a $28k item. So... I don't see Toyota dominating like they think they will.

Uh... Indigo I think you missed my reply to you on another thread. Pretty much all of the safety equipment is included standard on the new Prius. More airbags than I can count and active head restraints... traction control, electronic braking distribution, etc, are all included in the base configuration (there will only be one model with lots of options to add if you feel like it). The radar adaptive CC and Lane Assist Keep really don't count as safety features.

Noting also that we were told directly by a high up Toyota rep that this vehicle would be the "best car under $30K," I think you can rest easy that it won't be $35K with the safety equipment you want.

I do agree that the current generation Prius is overpriced for what it is, but I can't comment further on the new generation vehicle because we don't have pricing info for it yet. Personally, I tend to think that anything over the $20K level is expensive but then again I'm far from what I would term "wealthy." If you view $24K as "reasonably affordable" the odds are pretty good that the new Prius will be at least close to that price.

Regardless, I'm pretty convinced that Toyota and Honda are targeting different markets with their newest offerings. The Insight is intended for people who never would have considered a hybrid before because of price. The Prius is intended to expand its reach to make it more attractive to the affluent group that are accustomed to lots of amenities while still offering the original demographic an affordable upgrade.

Good luck and stay positive!

Driving position and seat comfort were deal-breakers for me and the Prius. And my legs fall asleep if I have to drive my HCHII for more than an hour.

If this car gets 40+ and has seats like the IS, I will be saving for one.

The IS350 had the best seats at the autoshow (better than the LS!).

nf

Wait until you get a chance to sit in the Prius III -- it is a massive improvement over the previous generation.

Wait until you get a chance to sit in the Prius III -- it is a massive improvement over the previous generation.

Any chance I can ditch my Prius II driver's seat for a Prius III seat? Anyone know?

Harry

Hmmm, I wish Toyota would come out with an extended Prius-same drivetrain- just add 20" of length behind the back seat to make it a better Home Depot Hauler,and a better trip vehicle.
The extra 200 lbs wouldn't hurt city FE much(5% maybe) and it wouldn't hurt hy FE at all(well, not much).

We are still fat Americans and we still want road trip vehicles. There was a reason stationwagons-and SUVs-were so popular.It is why those TDI SW have decent resale(despite having VW reliability, and the diesel premium.They are very versatile.I wonder if that "limo" Prius will ever come up for sale? I probably wouldn't trust it, but....

People would pay for a stationwagon/extended hatchback Prius.It would easily be a 45mpg(70 mph) road trip vehicle.

Charlie

Preaching to the choir, Charlie. I'm right there beside you.

Andrew,
I've eyeballed my Prius many times with potentially bad intent. I could build an extension box on to it-maybe extending another 30".I could support it with a hitch support(the sort of thing that is sold to support 10' and 12' lumber in short bed pickups). I could build it of plywood and fit/attach it right where the hatch fits now and on the floor of the Prius. I could use the hatch-as the Hatch.

The signal lights would look "funny" but they would still work. I've never used fiberglas,so I would stick with wood.It would probably be a lot easier to get a good fit with fiberglass. I'll have to use lots of closed cell foam to seal up my wood working shortcomings.

Another 2.5 feet of length would allow us to use it as our road trip vehicle. I would pull the front passengers seat etc for more capacity, and sleeping room(we sleep at rest stops enroute).Sure would be nice to use the Prius AC-maybe .1gph vs running the Suburban for AC .7GPH.We use an extra 7 gallons on our 3000 mile trips just for AC. You must remember last July- it was 103 in DFW for several days in a row. It was 90 degrees at midnight in Childress TX(on Hy 287 50 miles W of Wichita Falls) when we stopped on night! DFW was 8 degrees hotter than NOLA that day!

My extended Prius wouldn't be as comfortable as an Odyssey.It might make more sense to find a high mile Odyssey that was given a new tranmission sometime in its life.

Well,I'll keep my hands off it while it is in warranty.

Charlie