Lexus LS 600h L - Contradiction?

[Funny]

Is it just me, or is this a moving oxymoron? I love Toyota and all the other badges owned by Toyota, but this is really a waste of time. Please make a 3 cylinder hybrid diesel compact for the states, not a 5.0L 400+Hp hybrid luxury sedan!

[groar]

And what about that : Peugeot RC Hybrid Concept to Show in Paris | Hybrid Cars ?

Is the Peugeot RC Hybrid Concept a bold vision of what European roadways need during these carbon- and energy-obsessed times? Not quite. The new Peugeot RC hybrid—the complete name will be revealed in September at the show—went on a low-fuel low-carbon diet, but remains bloated at 313 horsepower. Despite the power, the company claims the four-door, four-seat will emit just 109 grams of CO2 per kilometer.

Better yet, their endurance racing car : Peugeot 908 HY Adds Hybrid Powertrain to LeMans Racer | Green Blog & Discussion at Automobile Magazine

[...]Kinetic energy lost during braking and cornering can then be recouped, stored as electricity, and used to power a 60-kilowatt electric motor. That motor can either boost the diesel motor (similar to Formula One's KERS), or power the 908 HY on its own, albeit at low-speeds in pit areas.

Peugeot says it could use the electric boost to deliver an extra 80 hp for 20 seconds each lap, or - perhaps more important during a 24-hour endurance race - use the motors to improve the car's fuel efficiency by as much as five percent.

But even if Peugeot already presented some hybrid concepts, they didn't indicated when they will have any hybrid road car.

Denis.

[PA32R]

It's very strange. The market, I suppose, is those that have 105 large to spend on a car but want the cache' of a hybrid vehicle. I'm sure their marketing people have verified that it's a profitable niche but I do find it peculiar or, as the op said, oxymoronic.

[rgathright]

I have had the opportunity to see several first hand. A dealership in Houston, TX sold one to a basketball player who wanted to be eco-friendly.

[Z man]

Yeah a hybrid or diesel Scion box with maybe a 2.0L engine would be so freakin' awesome but Toyota would never do it.

That Lexus is a joke, what is it's EPA?

[taco]

lexus uses the hybrid for low end power not FE plus that is the Long version.

[Funny]

Originally Posted by Z man

Yeah a hybrid or diesel Scion box with maybe a 2.0L engine would be so freakin' awesome but Toyota would never do it.

The problem is not that Toyota won't do it, they already have, with the D4D diesels, it's that the USA won't allow it... The Toyota Auris is a Turbo Diesel four-banger that is basically a Corolla that gets 50MPG. The only problem is it is in Great Britain where they allow cars of such magnitude to exist. There is a serious lack of communication between the EPA and the European countries, if they were able to standardize the safety and emissions (Almost as likely as making the metric system work in the US ) there would be some great European/Japan spec cars that would CRUSH the current market with superiority. Now that I'm all worked up Z man, I think I'll go drool over some more Toyota vehicles that I'll never see stateside .

[dremd]

The thing that everyone is forgetting is that it isn't a hybrid for economy; it is for performance, they felt that they needed a 12 cylinder available to keep that market segment, however in stead of using the Century V-12 in the LS; they added hybid boost.

Do I think it is the best thing ever? No.
Do I like it? Yes (I've driven one and do like it)

Toyota Century - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[Funny]

Originally Posted by dremd

The thing that everyone is forgetting is that it isn't a hybrid for economy; it is for performance, they felt that they needed a 12 cylinder available to keep that market segment, however in stead of using the Century V-12 in the LS; they added hybid boost.

Do I think it is the best thing ever? No.
Do I like it? Yes (I've driven one and do like it)

Toyota Century - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

That V-12 from the Century, isn't that the powerplant in the "Top Secret Supra"? That thing would have been AWESOME in the Lexus, but not for FE, of course. I just think that if you are going to make a hybrid, don't 'waste' the technology on something like a luxury car. That's what a luxury car is for, "driving in excess", "Luxury: a material object, service, etc., conducive to sumptuous living, usually a delicacy, elegance, or refinement of living rather than a necessity".