At the Frankfurt Motor Show in Germany this week, Lexus will unveil the next generation of its GS 450 hybrid, which will make its debut for the 2013 model year. The biggest news for the new GS hybrid will be a 30 percent across-the-board improvement in fuel economy, which should bump the 450's overall EPA rating into the 30-mpg range.
Toyota has announced that it will recall more than 82,000 hybrid SUVs in the United States this summer, due to faulty soldering. The voluntary recall was prompted by a National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration investigation launched in February, after 32 drivers complained about their vehicles stalling unexpectedly.
Lexus today teased the first images of the LF-Gh hybrid concept that it will make its world debut at the 2011 New York International Auto Show. The images provide a glimpse of the future direction of Lexus design, which will use hybrid technology as a key market advantage.
For nearly a decade, the Toyota Prius has dominated the hybrid market, selling more than all other gas-electric vehicles combined. But for all the great reasons to drive a Prius, the quintessential hybrid is far from the most engaging ride on the road. Let’s face it, hybrid fans: the essential and very important benefits of the Prius—great fuel economy and reduced emissions at the top of the list—comes with the penalty of a goody-goody high-tech dork factor. The Lexus CT 200h—just arriving in U.S. dealerships—seeks to remove that stigma.
According to announcements made yesterday by Toyota Executive Vice President Takeshi Uchiyamada, the company plans to introduce six new hybrid vehicles by the end of 2012. Two of the new hybrids would be Toyota vehicles and two would be Lexus luxury models. The company did not spell out which models would be offered as hybrids—so we’ll make our predictions: RAV4 Hybrid, Yaris Hybrid, Sienna Hybrid, Corolla Hybrid, and two sporty Lexus hybrid models. Let's not forget the Toyota plug-ins coming soon.
The luxury segment has just taken its first step over the 40-mpg line. Toyota announced over the weekend that the all-new 2011 Lexus CT 200h—the first luxury hybrid hatchback—will be rated with a combined city-highway mileage of 42 mpg. Does the Lexus CT 200h illustrate that a gas-electric car needs to earn its hybrid badge by reaching beyond 40 mpg?
Lexus has released details about the four driving modes that will be included in its forthcoming CT 200h hybrid. The sporty compact is the second dedicated hybrid offering from the carmaker and is intended to boost the fun factor for luxury hybrid drivers—while still being capable of delivering fuel economy approaching the Toyota Prius's 50 MPGs.
Toyota is recalling 17,000 units of its 2010 Lexus HS250h hybrid, due to a fuel tank issue. The company will also halt production and sales until a remedy can be found. By conducting the recall, and the halt to production and sales, Toyota is exercising an immediate response and a high degree of caution. The company was criticized earlier this year for a sluggish response to widely publicized issues with runaway acceleration.
The field of hybrid gas-electric vehicles is expected to triple from about 20 today to 60 or more by the middle of this decade. If current trends continue, much of that growth will come in the luxury segment. Is the availability of new hybrids from Lincoln, Mercedes and Lexus worth getting excited about? Yes and no.
Coming at the heels of Toyota’s problems with sticking accelerator pedals, news of potential braking problems on the 2010 Toyota Prius and Lexus HS250h hybrid has raised legitimate concerns among hybrid owners. Yet, media coverage of Toyota’s safety issues may be blurring the lines between a potentially fatal problem with the accelerator pedals and the hybrid braking issues that may largely be based on perception.
