Lexus HS
Encyclopedia
The Lexus HS is a dedicated hybrid vehicle
introduced by Lexus
as a new entry-level luxury compact
sedan in 2009. It is classified as a compact under Japanese regulations concerning vehicle exterior dimensions and engine displacement. Unveiled at the North American International Auto Show
in January 2009, the HS 250h went on sale in July 2009 as a 2010 model in Japan
, followed by its debut in the United States
in August 2009. The HS 250h represents the first dedicated hybrid vehicle in the Lexus lineup, as well as the first offered with an inline four gasoline engine. Bioplastic
materials are used for the vehicle interior. With a total length of 184.8 inches, the Lexus HS is slightly larger than the Lexus IS
in terms of size, but still smaller than the mid-size Lexus ES
. Like the larger Lexus ES and Lexus RX
FWD
(which is also shared on same production line), but unlike other Lexus vehicles, the HS is a front-wheel drive
car in the Lexus lineup. According to Lexus, the HS designation stands for Harmonious Sedan. The HS is offered as IS
's front-wheel drive
counterpart.
with upper-income buyers was also a consideration. The resulting HS 250h would become the most fuel-efficient in the Lexus lineup to date. At its launch, the HS 250h was also claimed to be the most fuel-efficient luxury vehicle in the U.S.
To cater to environmentally-conscious buyers, the HS 250h design included carbon footprint
-reducing considerations, including the adoption of plant-derived "eco-plastic" (bioplastic) materials for the interior, cargo space, and foam injected areas. Bioplastic plant sources include kenaf
fibers and castor
seeds. Kenaf-based material was previously used in the Lexus ES rear interior. According to the manufacturer, 85 percent of the vehicle is fully recyclable. For the Japanese domestic market, the Lexus HS250h features a Harmonious Driving Navigator system which monitored efficient driving characteristics and compared them with others to determine the 'greenest' overall driver, for which charitable donations could be made.
The HS 250h's platform is based on the third generation Toyota Avensis
, itself related to the traditional gasoline engine Toyota Allion
sold from 2001 to 2007, and is based on 2.4-litre-engined Corolla with electric motors. Other related models can include the Toyota Premio
, Toyota Vista
(5th gen), Toyota Opa
, Toyota Wish
, and Toyota Caldina
(3rd gen). In July 2009, the HS 250h made its sales launch in Japan, with 1,500 pre-orders logged at its introduction. This figure was reportedly three times greater than originally forecasted.
The Toyota Sai
, a sister model sharing the same platform and hybrid drivetrain, was launched in Japan in October 2009. However, HS 250h was not slated for the European market, where the similarly-sized IS 220d
is sold.
-powered portion of the HS 250h powertrain is the 2.4L 2AZ-FXE
inline-four engine. The 2AZ-FXE produces 147 hp and 105 ft·lbf (142.4 N·m) of torque at 4000 revolutions per minute
. This is assisted by an electric motor for a combined output of 187 hp. The HS 250h uses a similar hybrid drivetrain as the Toyota Camry Hybrid.
The HS 250h's EPA fuel economy is estimated at 35 miles per US gallon (14.9 km/L) in the city and 34 miles per US gallon (14.5 km/L) on the highway. The HS 250h engine runs on the Atkinson cycle
, and the powertrain uses a continuously variable transmission
. A 90 pounds (40.8 kg) nickel metal hydride battery
situated beneath the rear seats serves to power the electric motor. An additional system included on the HS 250h's Lexus Hybrid Drive powertrain is an exhaust-heat recovery system to reduce engine warm-up periods (optimizing engine start-stop times). The Atkinson cycle configuration and exhaust-heat recovery system is also used on the 2010 Lexus RX 450h
.
The HS 250h can be operated in either driver-selectable EV, Eco, or Power modes. The EV mode is suited for short-distance pure electric driving at speeds of up to 20 miles per hour (8.9 m/s), the Eco mode can be selected for the greatest fuel efficiency in mixed gas-electric driving, and the Power mode offers more performance in contrast to the Eco mode. The 0-60 time is listed at 8.4 seconds and the top speed is 112 miles per hour (50.1 m/s).
Technological features offered on the HS 250h include a pop-up navigation and infotainment system with Remote Touch
controller, a Mark Levinson
premium sound system, and safety systems. The Remote Touch system is used with the GPS navigation system and operates using haptic feedback. The Lexus Enform
telematics service is introduced on the HS 250h.
Safety systems include an Intelligent Highbeam (IHB) system, Lane Keep Assist (LKA) system, and onboard cameras. The IHB senses oncoming vehicles and adjusts lighting to prevent glare. The LKA system, operating in conjunction with the radar adaptive cruise control, helps keep the vehicle in its lane. Up to five onboard cameras include Wide-View Front and Rear-View backup cameras. These cameras allow the driver to see around corners. The LED
detector Driver Monitoring System
warns if the driver is not paying attention and obstacles are detected in the vehicle's path, preventing accidents due to drowsiness or distraction. A Pre-Collision System is designed to minimize damage from accidents.
In early 2010, based on units sold, the HS was considered one of the less popular Lexus sedans in the US, being outsold by the ES, IS, and LS. A recall of models for reprogramming the brake software in February 2010 also led some buyers to question the model; with word of the issue possibly scaring away potential buyers. Earlier in its release however, the HS 250h was the top selling Lexus hybrid, with monthly sales comparable to the economy Honda Insight
hybrid.
Hybrid vehicle
A hybrid vehicle is a vehicle that uses two or more distinct power sources to move the vehicle. The term most commonly refers to hybrid electric vehicles , which combine an internal combustion engine and one or more electric motors.-Power:...
introduced by Lexus
Lexus
is the luxury vehicle division of Japanese automaker Toyota Motor Corporation. First introduced in 1989 in the United States, Lexus is now sold globally and has become Japan's largest-selling make of premium cars. The Lexus marque is marketed in over 70 countries and territories worldwide, and has...
as a new entry-level luxury compact
Compact car
A compact car , or small family car , is a classification of cars which are larger than a supermini but smaller than or equal to a mid-size car...
sedan in 2009. It is classified as a compact under Japanese regulations concerning vehicle exterior dimensions and engine displacement. Unveiled at the North American International Auto Show
North American International Auto Show
The North American International Auto Show is an annual auto show held in Detroit, Michigan at Cobo Center, usually in January. It is among the largest auto shows in North America.-History:...
in January 2009, the HS 250h went on sale in July 2009 as a 2010 model in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, followed by its debut in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in August 2009. The HS 250h represents the first dedicated hybrid vehicle in the Lexus lineup, as well as the first offered with an inline four gasoline engine. Bioplastic
Bioplastic
Bioplastics are a form of plastics derived from renewable biomass sources, such as vegetable fats and oils, corn starch, pea starch, or microbiota, rather than fossil-fuel plastics which are derived from petroleum...
materials are used for the vehicle interior. With a total length of 184.8 inches, the Lexus HS is slightly larger than the Lexus IS
Lexus IS
The Lexus IS is a series of entry-level luxury cars / compact executive cars sold by Lexus since 1998. The IS was introduced as an entry-level sport model slotted below the ES in the Lexus lineup...
in terms of size, but still smaller than the mid-size Lexus ES
Lexus ES
The Lexus ES series is a family of mid-size luxury sedans sold by Lexus since 1989. Now in its fifth generation, the series has been consistently built on the Toyota Camry platform with a V6 engine, automatic transmission, and front-wheel drive...
. Like the larger Lexus ES and Lexus RX
Lexus RX
The Lexus RX is a crossover sport utility vehicle sold since 1998 by Lexus, the luxury division of the Japanese automobile manufacturer Toyota. Three generations of the Lexus RX have been produced to date, the first being compact in size, and the latter two classified as mid-size...
FWD
Front-wheel drive
Front-wheel drive is a form of engine/transmission layout used in motor vehicles, where the engine drives the front wheels only. Most modern front-wheel drive vehicles feature a transverse engine, rather than the conventional longitudinal engine arrangement generally found in rear-wheel drive and...
(which is also shared on same production line), but unlike other Lexus vehicles, the HS is a front-wheel drive
Front-wheel drive
Front-wheel drive is a form of engine/transmission layout used in motor vehicles, where the engine drives the front wheels only. Most modern front-wheel drive vehicles feature a transverse engine, rather than the conventional longitudinal engine arrangement generally found in rear-wheel drive and...
car in the Lexus lineup. According to Lexus, the HS designation stands for Harmonious Sedan. The HS is offered as IS
Lexus IS
The Lexus IS is a series of entry-level luxury cars / compact executive cars sold by Lexus since 1998. The IS was introduced as an entry-level sport model slotted below the ES in the Lexus lineup...
's front-wheel drive
Front-wheel drive
Front-wheel drive is a form of engine/transmission layout used in motor vehicles, where the engine drives the front wheels only. Most modern front-wheel drive vehicles feature a transverse engine, rather than the conventional longitudinal engine arrangement generally found in rear-wheel drive and...
counterpart.
Development
Lexus displayed the HS 250h for the first time at the North American International Auto Show in 2008, with plans to launch the vehicle in major world markets including the U.S. and Japan. According to division officials, the HS was produced in response to consumer interest in dedicated hybrid models, with many stating that they would purchase such a vehicle if a luxury make offered one. The success of the Toyota PriusToyota Prius
The Toyota Prius is a full hybrid electric mid-size hatchback, formerly a compact sedan developed and manufactured by the Toyota Motor Corporation...
with upper-income buyers was also a consideration. The resulting HS 250h would become the most fuel-efficient in the Lexus lineup to date. At its launch, the HS 250h was also claimed to be the most fuel-efficient luxury vehicle in the U.S.
To cater to environmentally-conscious buyers, the HS 250h design included carbon footprint
Carbon footprint
A carbon footprint has historically been defined as "the total set of greenhouse gas emissions caused by an organization, event, product or person.". However, calculating a carbon footprint which conforms to this definition is often impracticable due to the large amount of data required, which is...
-reducing considerations, including the adoption of plant-derived "eco-plastic" (bioplastic) materials for the interior, cargo space, and foam injected areas. Bioplastic plant sources include kenaf
Kenaf
Kenaf [Etymology: Persian], Hibiscus cannabinus, is a plant in the Malvaceae family. Hibiscus cannabinus is in the genus Hibiscus and is probably native to southern Asia, though its exact natural origin is unknown. The name also applies to the fibre obtained from this plant...
fibers and castor
Castor oil plant
The castor oil plant, Ricinus communis, is a species of flowering plant in the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae. It belongs to a monotypic genus, Ricinus, and subtribe, Ricininae. The evolution of castor and its relation to other species are currently being studied.Its seed is the castor bean which,...
seeds. Kenaf-based material was previously used in the Lexus ES rear interior. According to the manufacturer, 85 percent of the vehicle is fully recyclable. For the Japanese domestic market, the Lexus HS250h features a Harmonious Driving Navigator system which monitored efficient driving characteristics and compared them with others to determine the 'greenest' overall driver, for which charitable donations could be made.
The HS 250h's platform is based on the third generation Toyota Avensis
Toyota Avensis
The Toyota Avensis is a large family car built in Derbyshire, United Kingdom by Japanese carmaker Toyota since 1997. It is the direct successor to the Carina E and is available as a four-door saloon, five-door liftback and estate...
, itself related to the traditional gasoline engine Toyota Allion
Toyota Allion
The Toyota Allion is a compact sedan sold in Japan by Toyota as designated by Japanese regulations concerning exterior dimensions and engine displacement. The Toyota Allion has a lot of space for the people sitting in the back-seats...
sold from 2001 to 2007, and is based on 2.4-litre-engined Corolla with electric motors. Other related models can include the Toyota Premio
Toyota Premio
The Toyota Premio is a compact sedan sold in Japan by Toyota as designated by Japanese regulations concerning exterior dimensions and engine displacement....
, Toyota Vista
Toyota Vista
The Toyota Vista is a compact car launched in 1982 as a sister nameplate to the Camry by Toyota in Japan. The name was introduced to tie in with the Toyota Vista dealership network, and launched around the same time...
(5th gen), Toyota Opa
Toyota Opa
The Opa was the result of the V50 series Vista Ardeo wagon modified into a 5-door hatchback. The transmission shifter was relocated from the floor between the front seats to a location on the lower portion of the dashboard, allowing passengers to walk to the rear area from either front seat...
, Toyota Wish
Toyota WISH
The Toyota WISH is a Compact MPV produced by Japanese automaker Toyota since 2003. It is available as a six and seven-seater, equipped with either a 1.8 or 2.0-litre gasoline engine...
, and Toyota Caldina
Toyota Caldina
The Toyota Caldina is an automobile manufactured by Toyota for the Japanese market and was released in 1992. It replaced the Toyota Carina Surf....
(3rd gen). In July 2009, the HS 250h made its sales launch in Japan, with 1,500 pre-orders logged at its introduction. This figure was reportedly three times greater than originally forecasted.
The Toyota Sai
Toyota Sai
The Toyota Sai is a sister model sharing the same platform and hybrid drivetrain with Lexus HS. It was launched in Japan on October 20, 2009. Toyota received about 14,000 orders in one month after its introduction. It is a hybrid....
, a sister model sharing the same platform and hybrid drivetrain, was launched in Japan in October 2009. However, HS 250h was not slated for the European market, where the similarly-sized IS 220d
Lexus IS
The Lexus IS is a series of entry-level luxury cars / compact executive cars sold by Lexus since 1998. The IS was introduced as an entry-level sport model slotted below the ES in the Lexus lineup...
is sold.
Powertrain
The gasolineGasoline
Gasoline , or petrol , is a toxic, translucent, petroleum-derived liquid that is primarily used as a fuel in internal combustion engines. It consists mostly of organic compounds obtained by the fractional distillation of petroleum, enhanced with a variety of additives. Some gasolines also contain...
-powered portion of the HS 250h powertrain is the 2.4L 2AZ-FXE
Toyota AZ engine
The Toyota AZ engine family is a straight-4 piston engine series. The AZ series uses an aluminium engine block with cast iron cylinder liners and aluminium DOHC cylinder heads. The engine series features many advanced technologies including slant-squish combustion chambers,offset cylinder and...
inline-four engine. The 2AZ-FXE produces 147 hp and 105 ft·lbf (142.4 N·m) of torque at 4000 revolutions per minute
Revolutions per minute
Revolutions per minute is a measure of the frequency of a rotation. It annotates the number of full rotations completed in one minute around a fixed axis...
. This is assisted by an electric motor for a combined output of 187 hp. The HS 250h uses a similar hybrid drivetrain as the Toyota Camry Hybrid.
Atkinson cycle
The Atkinson cycle engine is a type of internal combustion engine invented by James Atkinson in 1882. The Atkinson cycle is designed to provide efficiency at the expense of power density, and is used in some modern hybrid electric applications.-Design:...
, and the powertrain uses a continuously variable transmission
Continuously variable transmission
A continuously variable transmission is a transmission that can change steplessly through an infinite number of effective gear ratios between maximum and minimum values. This contrasts with other mechanical transmissions that offer a fixed number of gear ratios...
. A 90 pounds (40.8 kg) nickel metal hydride battery
Nickel metal hydride battery
A nickel–metal hydride cell, abbreviated NiMH, is a type of rechargeable battery similar to the nickel–cadmium cell. The NiMH battery uses a hydrogen-absorbing alloy for the negative electrode instead of cadmium. As in NiCd cells, the positive electrode is nickel oxyhydroxide...
situated beneath the rear seats serves to power the electric motor. An additional system included on the HS 250h's Lexus Hybrid Drive powertrain is an exhaust-heat recovery system to reduce engine warm-up periods (optimizing engine start-stop times). The Atkinson cycle configuration and exhaust-heat recovery system is also used on the 2010 Lexus RX 450h
Lexus RX (AL10)
The Lexus RX is the third generation of the Lexus RX series of crossover SUVs, sold by Lexus since 2009. The vehicle series is a complete redesign of Lexus' crossover model line, with models debuting in 2009 including the RX 350 and RX 450h...
.
The HS 250h can be operated in either driver-selectable EV, Eco, or Power modes. The EV mode is suited for short-distance pure electric driving at speeds of up to 20 miles per hour (8.9 m/s), the Eco mode can be selected for the greatest fuel efficiency in mixed gas-electric driving, and the Power mode offers more performance in contrast to the Eco mode. The 0-60 time is listed at 8.4 seconds and the top speed is 112 miles per hour (50.1 m/s).
Equipment
Remote Touch
Remote Touch is a vehicle interface system developed by Lexus for use in conjunction with in-car information, configuration, and entertainment systems. The Remote Touch controller, which is similar to a computer mouse or joystick, allows the driver to operate an on-screen cursor on the vehicle's...
controller, a Mark Levinson
Mark Levinson
The company Mark Levinson, now owned by Madrigal Audio Laboratories specializes in high-end digital audio processors, integrated amplifiers, power amplifiers, pre amplifiers, and CD players...
premium sound system, and safety systems. The Remote Touch system is used with the GPS navigation system and operates using haptic feedback. The Lexus Enform
Lexus Link
Lexus Link, launched October, 2000, is a subscription-based safety and security service from Lexus. It has been offered as a factory-installed option, available on certain Lexus models , offering call-center-based telematics services to owners with equipped vehicles in the United States and Canada...
telematics service is introduced on the HS 250h.
Safety systems include an Intelligent Highbeam (IHB) system, Lane Keep Assist (LKA) system, and onboard cameras. The IHB senses oncoming vehicles and adjusts lighting to prevent glare. The LKA system, operating in conjunction with the radar adaptive cruise control, helps keep the vehicle in its lane. Up to five onboard cameras include Wide-View Front and Rear-View backup cameras. These cameras allow the driver to see around corners. The LED
LEd
LEd is a TeX/LaTeX editing software working under Microsoft Windows. It is a freeware product....
detector Driver Monitoring System
Driver Monitoring System
Driver Monitoring System, also known as Driver Attention Monitor, is a vehicle safety system first developed by Toyota in 2006 for its and Lexus latest models. It was first offered on the GS 450h. The system's functions co-operate with the Pre-Collision System . The system uses infrared sensors to...
warns if the driver is not paying attention and obstacles are detected in the vehicle's path, preventing accidents due to drowsiness or distraction. A Pre-Collision System is designed to minimize damage from accidents.
Sales
The Lexus HS has had success in the Japanese market, where in its the first month, the vehicle recorded 3,000 pre-orders, 10,000 sales, and a waiting list that was six months long. Because of the higher than expected demand in Japan, Lexus lowered its allocation and sales plans for the United States in October 2009.In early 2010, based on units sold, the HS was considered one of the less popular Lexus sedans in the US, being outsold by the ES, IS, and LS. A recall of models for reprogramming the brake software in February 2010 also led some buyers to question the model; with word of the issue possibly scaring away potential buyers. Earlier in its release however, the HS 250h was the top selling Lexus hybrid, with monthly sales comparable to the economy Honda Insight
Honda Insight
The Honda Insight is a hybrid electric vehicle manufactured by Honda and the first production vehicle to feature Honda's Integrated Motor Assist system. The first-generation Insight was produced from 1999 to 2006 as a three-door hatchback...
hybrid.
| Generation | Model | Calendar year | Total sales, U.S. | Total sales, Japan |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ANF10 | HS 250h | 2009 | 6,699 | 8,494 |
2010 recall
On June 25, 2010 Lexus recalled 17,801 MY 2010 HS250h models for failing to comply with FMVSS 301, "Fuel System Integrity", due to excessive fuel leakage in the event of a rear-end collision.External links
- Lexus HS Hybrid official site
- DriveHS.com - official launch site