Right Lane Cruiser
07-14-2009, 07:35 AM
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/2/Japanese_Flag_30x22.jpg The HS250h has listed mileage in Japan of 23.0 km/liter, comparable to a Vitz subcompact. (http://www.reuters.com/article/GCA-GreenBusiness/idUSTRE56D1JN20090714)
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/HS_250h_Passenger_Side_Front_Headline.jpgChang-Ran Kim - REUTERS (http://www.reuters.com) - July 14, 2009
As demonstrated (http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/showthread.php?p=215415) by Wayne Gerdes, this is an extremely capable vehicle. --Ed.
TOKYO - Toyota Motor Corp launched its first dedicated hybrid model under the premium Lexus brand on Tuesday, saying it had received orders worth six months of targeted sales in Japan.
The launch of the HS250h sedan marks the latest push by the world's biggest automaker to drive fuel-sipping hybrids into the mainstream as governments around the world tighten emissions and fuel economy regulations while offering consumers incentives to purchase less-polluting cars.
Toyota expects to sell an average 500 units a month in Japan of the HS250h, which does not have the unique design characteristics of instantly recognizable Prius hybrid, but like the Prius is only available as a gasoline-electric model.
"Thanks to the green-car tax and a hybrid boom fanned by the Prius in Japan, we've already gotten 3,000 orders," Senior Managing Director Toshio Furutani said at the launch.
The model will be sold in the United States and Canada from September, Toyota said. Until the end of 2009, Toyota plans to produce about 3,000 units a month.
Furutani said hybrids had become a major driver for the Lexus brand, which has struggled to sell in Japan since its domestic launch in 2005.
In the first six months of 2009, Lexus sales plunged 38 percent from the year-earlier period to 9,293 units. About 30 percent of those were a hybrid, a Toyota spokesman said.
The HS250h, powered by a 2.5-liter engine, starts at 3.95 million yen ($42,460) in Japan, making it the... http://www.reuters.com/article/GCA-GreenBusiness/idUSTRE56D1JN20090714
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/HS_250h_Passenger_Side_Front_Headline.jpgChang-Ran Kim - REUTERS (http://www.reuters.com) - July 14, 2009
As demonstrated (http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/showthread.php?p=215415) by Wayne Gerdes, this is an extremely capable vehicle. --Ed.
TOKYO - Toyota Motor Corp launched its first dedicated hybrid model under the premium Lexus brand on Tuesday, saying it had received orders worth six months of targeted sales in Japan.
The launch of the HS250h sedan marks the latest push by the world's biggest automaker to drive fuel-sipping hybrids into the mainstream as governments around the world tighten emissions and fuel economy regulations while offering consumers incentives to purchase less-polluting cars.
Toyota expects to sell an average 500 units a month in Japan of the HS250h, which does not have the unique design characteristics of instantly recognizable Prius hybrid, but like the Prius is only available as a gasoline-electric model.
"Thanks to the green-car tax and a hybrid boom fanned by the Prius in Japan, we've already gotten 3,000 orders," Senior Managing Director Toshio Furutani said at the launch.
The model will be sold in the United States and Canada from September, Toyota said. Until the end of 2009, Toyota plans to produce about 3,000 units a month.
Furutani said hybrids had become a major driver for the Lexus brand, which has struggled to sell in Japan since its domestic launch in 2005.
In the first six months of 2009, Lexus sales plunged 38 percent from the year-earlier period to 9,293 units. About 30 percent of those were a hybrid, a Toyota spokesman said.
The HS250h, powered by a 2.5-liter engine, starts at 3.95 million yen ($42,460) in Japan, making it the... http://www.reuters.com/article/GCA-GreenBusiness/idUSTRE56D1JN20090714