Comments on: Toyota Boosts Production of Lexus HS 250h Luxury Hybrid

By: Lexus Repair Questions

Lexus Repair Questions — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 02:30:41 +0000

Lexus Hybrid cars would be great. This is becoming the trend today – the use of more efficient cars. I can see that in the next 20 years our world would be full of this kind of car.

By: DaveT

DaveT — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 12:27:47 +0000

"the only American company that is close is Ford and they rent their Hybrid system from Lexus."

You only got that 1st half right DJ. Make no mistake - the Fusion HEV platform, unlike Ford's earlier Escape HEV offerings, was another independent effort and steered free of Toyota's IP (and it's likely Toyota has moved beyond licensing from Ford as in that old cross licensing deal (even back then it was not a one way deal and Ford's system was still materially different)).

Test drive a Fusion HEV and then judge where you think Ford is on the product innovation and quality level. You might be shocked at the game shift.

By: Rudolf

Rudolf — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 14:58:06 +0000

What do the letters “HS” stand for?

By: HCH Story

HCH Story — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 05:28:51 +0000

@Robcares

I think HCH "failed" not because people can't show it off as a green symbol. It failed because there was very little distinction from the regular civic for the price difference. As an example, GM often commits this sin by offering similar cars across different brands. In other words, to be a success, HCH either has to offer much better value than the regular civic (failed) or tap into market segments not served by the regular civic (failed). One way Honda could have done this is to offer HCH hatchback, but they didn't for whatever reason.

Honda appears to be learning by developing Insight as a hatchback, which I believe would have had the same success if it was based on the civic platform. As matter of fact, I'd still love to see a HCH hatchback over the Insight since HCH has a more advanced hybrid system. This combination could be a very strong competition to the 3rd gen prius if they can make the price point work. I suspect Honda realized long ago HCH can't be price competitive with Prius with a hatchback before they decided on developing the Insight...

By: Robcares

Robcares — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 05:01:00 +0000

David, it's time to put this high cost of manufacturing the EV-1 myth to rest. Yes the cost of the EV-1 was high, however, that is largely because GM never intended to mass produce them. I have worked in manufacturing all of my adult life (more then I'd like to admit), and for an O.E.M. (Original Equipment Manufacturer) supplier as a mid-level manager for a number of years. In manufacturing, the greater the quantity, the lower the price, so if GM was serious about the EV-1 they would be less expensive to make in mass. The assembly plant would be more sophisticated also reducing cost. In addition to all of that, O.E.M. contracts for components usually run for a few years, and the customer usually has a built-in further reduction in price each year of the contract because they expect the supplier to improve the fabrication process over time, which we do. The battery is a problem, however Honda and Toyota have figured out how to handle that, so there really is no reason GM can't do the same.

It was widely reported that Toyota lost money on the Prius the first couple of years they made them because of the low quantity sold, I doubt that that is still the case.

The Detroit Dinosaurs aren't willing to take the initial hit to establish a competitor to Toyota, and why should they, we'll just bail them out when they fail. The Volt will be too expensive and fail to sell and GM will kill it and claim nobody wanted them, it was all along just an attempt to green the brand, how sad.

By: Bryce

Bryce — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 19:32:55 +0000

This is definetly a nicer version of a Corolla….which I guess could be called an improvement. I had expected perhaps 40ish mpg considering it is the size of a corolla and only uses a four banger engine.

By: steved28

steved28 — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 16:55:41 +0000

Dj,

Ford rents there system from Lexus??? So much mis-information on the web. Ford developed their own hybrid technology.

By: David

David — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 14:29:00 +0000

GM could probably make the EV-1 again but I don't think anyone want to pay 6-8 figures for a batteyr powered rollerskate. When are people going to remember that the $400+/mo lease payments didn't even cover maintenance costs on these cars? It wasn't just GM, but people who worked in the supply chain who said this. Yes, it's true that the 'owners' didn't want to part with them, but the fact of the matter was that GM didn't want to keep losing money every month on a car that was ridiculously expensive even when, effectively, *given* away.

I just wish they kept the research going instead of totally ending the program.

By: confused

confused — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 14:14:18 +0000

That is the nicest Toyota Corolla I’ve ever seen.

By: Robcares

Robcares — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 13:52:50 +0000

I think the real story here is; Japanese car manufacturers are getting it, you need a design that at first glance says “HYBRID”. As much as buyers of Hybrids want to save on gas and maybe help the planet, more importantly, they want everyone around them to know they are driving one. I think the poor showing in sales of the Civic Hybrid bares this idea out. The Detroit Dinosaurs still don’t see what’s going on. Why is it the GM can make a 100 mile range EV-1, but can’t make a 40 mile (electric only) Volt? Because they still see Hybrids as a niche market that’s too small to get involved with. They still believe that Americans still want SUVs, and the market share supports this idea, and Lutz said as much the other day. It’s the American public that just doesn’t get it, most still don’t believe that man is at least partly responsible for global climate change. Until the price of gas hits $5.00+ nothing will really change.