2:18 AM
Lexus confirms the debut of a new hybrid sedan at the Detroit auto show.
Toyota is going bonkers with alternative powertrains at the 2009 Detroit show. Beyond dropping the next-gen Toyota Prius and the FT-EV concept, it will also be showing a new Lexus hybrid sedan called the HS250h.
Not a lot is known about the HS right now—the Lexus consumer site simply teases the reveal, showing only an image of a badge—but scans of a Japanese magazine show a car that looks suspiciously like the long-rumored Lexified version of the Prius.
The car is said to house a 2.4-liter four-cylinder as the gas-fired member of its hybrid powertrain, which makes sense to us; there’s no way Lexus buyers would put up with the Prius’s dinky 1.5-liter engine and 10-plus-second 0–60 time.
The Toyota Camry hybrid’s system, which just so happens to use a 2.4-liter four, is good for 187 combined hp; that would be plenty to scoot a smaller Lexus HS250h around with some verve while also achieving fuel economy in the 40-mpg range.
The HS250h will be the fourth hybrid in Lexus’s lineup, joining the GS450h and LS600hL sedans and the redesigned 2010 RX450h crossover. While the other sedans have been touted as so-called “performance hybrids,” using electric motors to deliver the gusto of a larger engine, the HS will likely have efficiency at the top of its to-do list. We’ll know more on January 11, when the car will be revealed. Stay tuned for more details.
