Does anyone have any info on the new Lexus Hybrid car?

 

As far as I know, the only official info is on the RX400h which will be an RX330 hybrid with the power of a V8 but economy of a 4 cylinder. I think it comes out in a few years. There have been "h" commercials commenting on the hybrid future of Lexus but I don't know if any other cars have been officially announced as future models.

James

 

It will go on sale sometime in europe at the end of 04. Not sure when they start US sales.

3.3L V6
270hp
fwd w/rear electric motor = awd
approx 28mpg
SULEV

As of now the 3.5L hybrid is a rumor, but they dedicated a section to hybrids on Lexus' site
http://www.lexus.com/models/hybrid/o...rformance.html

 

I don't think there is going to really be a big market for future hybrids either here or in Europe, in spite of the popularity of the new Prius. Why? Simple......diesels are much less complex, less expensive to produce, simpler to repair, produce big torque figures like an electric motor, will be virtually as pollution-free when the low-sulfur fuel is mandated here in the U.S. by 2006, and, most important, will equal the hybrid's fuel mileage in most cases. They also don't have the bulk and weight of the big battery packs and electric motor additions, don't have possibility of having battery sparks right over the fuel tank in a rear-end collision, and will never require battery pack replacement.
Europeans have enjoyed efficient diesels for years...cheap gas (until now) has pretty much kept them out of the U.S.
Today's auto diesels are NOTHING like the junk that was sold 20-25 years ago....or even like the truck diesels. They don't stink, pour soot all over, clack loud at idle, accelerate like slugs, refuse to start at cold temperatures, or fall apart after a year or so. Today's Direct-Injection diesels are real precision machines.

 

The RX400H is coming out in Feb - Mar 2005. If you are interested in getting a car, then I suggest getting yourself on a waiting list. If you get on a list now, then maybe you'll be getting your car around Jun - Jul '05. The Toyota Hybrid is a 8-9 month wait right now in California. And check out the RX forum. There's a whole bunch of information on there.

 

You must not be living in Cali CARB states then....fuel cells are the future. Hybrids are the stop-gap solution until then...

 

I call try to call this guy I met the other day at my friends house. He is the Research and Developer/ Future Planner for Toyota/Lexus. He should have some comments on it. I just saw an ad in a magazine and was wondering what info is out there.

 

No...hybrids will more likely be the stop-gap solution until the European-style diesels get here in a few years. Fuel cells hold some promise but are far too expensive for ordinary cars. And even if the fuel-cell technology is perfected and the price lowered it will still require hydrogen canisters..and we don't have a hydrogen infrastructure yet to meet this demand. Diesel fuel , on the other hand, can easily be addded to existing gas stations.....and is already available at a number of them.

Fuel cell cars may in fact have a eventual future but it is a very distant one at best. You may not ever see it in your lifetime...I probably won't either.

The next generation of diesels should meet even CARB's emission standards....though this might involve a urea-solution injection system, and replaceable canisters ( Don't laugh...I'm serious). Still, it's a lot less-complex system than hybrids. The low-sulfur fuel diesel regulation coming next year will go a long way.

You're correct...I don't live in CA but our local emissions standards here in the DC area are more stringent than the national average, and many of the new vehicles sold here have the CA-NY-MA emissions package. EPA also requires bi-annual emissions treadmill tests here...you can't register your car without it.