If The Lexus HS250h Dies In Obscurity, Does Anybody Notice?

by Derek Kreindler

Published: May 17th, 2012

if the lexus hs250h dies in obscurity does anybody notice

Well, it was bound to happen. The ugly step-child of the Lexus lineup, the HS250h, is dead. And the too-tall corpse has been decomposing for quite some time.

Toyota told Inside Line

“Production of the HS 250h ceased in January, 2012. Lexus continues to monitor sales for each product and we make adjustments to make sure that we meet market demand, and the discontinuation of HS was part of that adjustment. The ES 300h is not replacing HS in our lineup. It’s merely part of the hybridization of many of our existing vehicles in the Toyota and Lexus lineups.”

Sales of the HS dropped 74 percent in 2011, and with the ES300h and the CT200h, Lexus has all their bases covered in the hybrid car market covered. The fact that the HS250h has been dead for nearly 6 months without anyone noticing is a bit pathetic. If it had “Prius” in its name, it might have done a bit better. Perhaps this is proof that even a bulletproof nameplate like Lexus can’t just slap a hybrid system into any old crap and expect it to sell.

#Hybrid #HybridCars #Lexus #LexusHS250h #Sales #Toyota

Derek Kreindler

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5 of 98 comments

UnoCarDealers on May 18, 2012

Well, when sales drop 74%, the market is telling you something. "with the ES300h and the CT200h, Lexus has all their bases covered in the hybrid car market covered" - so I think Toyota would to just fine without the HS. Perhaps, they would just write off the HS an a failed experiment.

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Siuol11.2 on May 18, 2012

Too bad, I always thought it was one of the better looking hybrids, and if it's anything like the 2005-2008 IS250, I'd be estatic... but hybrid and luxury don't seem to mesh well.

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- KalapanaBlack on May 18, 2012
  
  They can mesh if done well. The Infiniti M hybrid is getting pretty decent reviews. Not sure how it's selling, though. The RX450h has been a good (if not great) seller since introduction. The HS was simply too downmarket for Lexus. Toyota offers the Prius - with better mileage and pretty much the same feature availability - for less money. Why pay more for the Lexus badge? Also, it's a disastrously proportioned vehicle, this HS.
  
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FJ60LandCruiser on May 18, 2012

Well, this was inevitable. The only hybrid with name recognition is the Prius. Americans don't buy hybrids to save gas or save the planet, they buy them to be noticeably SEEN as saving gas and the planet. It's possibly the most sanctimonious purchase one can make and if you're not screaming to drivers around you how you're a better human being for your choice of automobile, why bother? It's the antithesis of the Hummer, but still involves the same portions of the brain. It's why stealth hybrids that are nearly indistinguishable from their parent vehicles (Camry, Civic) are also poor sellers and consigned to die quiet deaths or carry on in Zipcar fleets. If Lexus ever makes something like a Prius L, with the same suppository styling and honorable eco sacrifice recognition that anyone from a quarter mile away won't mistake for an eco hero... that may sell like wildfire. But so far their dorky hatchback hybrid isn't very Priusesque.

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T2 on May 18, 2012
Americans don’t buy hybrids to save gas or save the planet, they buy them to be noticeably SEEN as saving gas and the planet. Really Land Cruiser ? I would give Americans more credit than that. I also need to address this other notion, frequenting this board, that an ES is just a gussied up version of the Camry. Couldn't be more wrong, the multi-link suspension gives an entirely different feel to road holding that I haven't experienced with any models in the Toyota lineup I have tested. That aside, if I am going to purchase from Lexus again I would be looking for something NEW in my new car and for the ES it would probably be something like the RX400h powertrain. In other words at this higher price point I am looking for AWD. AWD would serve to neatly differentiate the Lexus ES product from the Camry hybrid. The RX400h electric powertrain with the use of a third motor, mounted in the rear, is able to eliminate both the inefficiency of a 90 degree RWD coupling and the weight of the transfer case needed to transmit power to it. Bottom line you get AWD without the hit to the mpg.

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