Lexus HS250h unveiled at Detroit

The Lexus HS 250h, unveiled at the Detroit motor show overnight, is due to go on sale in North America later this year while production of a right-hand-drive model is due to commence late this year or early next year.

It is based on a similar underbody to the petrol-electric Toyota Prius, although the car itself is slightly bigger than the Lexus IS250 sedan.

The Lexus HS 250h is powered by a more advanced version of the 2.4-litre four-cylinder engine and electric motor used in the Camry hybrid, and is said to deliver the performance of a V6 but the fuel economy of a four-cylinder car.

“Once it becomes available in right-hand-drive it will be a possibility for us,” said the product planner for Toyota Australia, Peter Evans. “We would definitely consider it, but we won’t know for some time if will go ahead.”

Lexus needs to research its customers to see if there is a demand for a petrol-electric luxury car. Lexus of North America claims that more than 60 percent of car buyers in the “affordable luxury” price range would have considered a hybrid if available.

The other deciding factor is that there will likely soon be another affordable hybrid Lexus – a hatchback being developed for Europe.

“We are very interested in a car that’s more compact than the Lexus IS250, so we can compete with the BMW 1 Series, Mercedes A Class and those types of vehicles,” Evans said.

“There is a strong desire to add an affordable hybrid car to the Lexus range, it’s really a matter of which car best suits our customers when and if it becomes available,” Evans said.

The HS 250h sedan, if it were to be sold in Australia, would likely have a price tag in excess of $60,000. The hybrid hatchback would likely start at about $50,000.

The HS 250h will be the fourth Lexus hybrid model and the most fuel-efficient vehicle in its lineup, although the car maker is yet to publish official fuel consumption figures.

Part of the secret to the sedan’s frugality is the slippery shape of its body. Lexus says the HS 250h has a drag coefficient (Cd) of 0.27, making it among the most aerodynamic in its class. Special ducting under the car also helps reduce unwanted air turbulence.

The interior of the car also does its bit to help the environment. The maker claims the HS 250h will be the first Lexus with carbon-neutral “ecological plastics” in the cabin – up to 30 per cent of interior materials are said to be covered in the new, reduced-emissions coating, and 85 per cent of the car can be recycled.

Lexus says 10 airbags will be standard (two front airbags, four seat-mounted side airbags, two curtain airbags and knee airbags for the both the driver and front passenger).

Other available technology includes a lane-departure warning system that advises the driver if he or she is unwittingly swerving between lanes, and power-saving LED head-lights.

The 2009 Detroit Motor Show