Rumor Mill: Lexus Admits To A Stinker And Kills HS Hybrid

While this isn't much to go on, it appears the slow selling Lexus HS250h has come to an end. Little more than an upscale Prius, the HS250h has never really found a loyal following and Lexus may have pulled the plug in favor of a new and more youthful successor still in the works. 

Does this mean that Lexus is moving away from the conservative gray hair crowd?   We doubt that this would happen any time soon, but when compared to the competition, many areas of the current lineup are dated and are currently surviving only through very minor refreshes.

It couldn't hurt if they took a lesson from Audi where an assault of new models has helped them gain market share when the rest of the market is in decline.  Just how fast can the Japanese automaker make this type of change? That might be the better question.

Stay tuned!









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M35MT - 11/8/2011 1:11:02 PM

-1 Boost

it is an embarrassment. dump it. now.

richard112360 - 11/9/2011 9:46:31 AM

+5 Boost

FWIW, the Lexus HS250h is actually a rebadged Euro Spec Toyota Avensis!

richard112360 - 11/9/2011 9:46:31 AM

+4 Boost

FWIW, the Lexus HS250h is actually a rebadged Euro Spec Toyota Avensis!

enthusiastx11 - 11/8/2011 1:18:04 PM

-2 Boost

makes sense to end it. why prolong a bad business decision....

Joe_Limon - 11/8/2011 1:46:25 PM

+6 Boost

Audi had an assault of new models? I have a hard enough time telling the existing ones apart! lol

Agent009 - 11/8/2011 2:11:18 PM

-7 Boost

They DO have a strong lineage!

vdiv - 11/8/2011 7:26:07 PM

0 Boost

That's correct, it is not a rebadged Prius. It is a rebadged Corolla with HSD and leather seats. Not sure why they couldn't add a hybrid drive train to an IS and leave the economy aspect to the Toyota branded models.

Joe_Limon - 11/8/2011 9:37:37 PM

-3 Boost

It would have sold better if it was a rebadged prius and not a rebadged corolla lol.

acronis - 11/8/2011 3:28:43 PM

-4 Boost

It takes a lot for a company like Toyota to admit its failings. Perhaps this will give the clueless over at Honda the excuse it needs to kill off its failed Ridgeline pseudo pick-up and hugely disappointing CR-Z.

FromThePassengerSeat - 11/10/2011 8:39:48 PM

+1 Boost

The CR-Z is a big seller in the Far East because over there it has back seats, and therefore it makes sense. I have no idea why those practicality boosters didn't make it here.

1BadMan - 11/8/2011 4:18:17 PM

+10 Boost

"Little more than an upscale Prius". That is incorrect and Autospies (worst) should have corrected it. Where are the so-called editiors? The car is a European market Toyota Avensis with a Camry Hybrid drivetrain. Should have never came to market and kill the stupid SC430 that sold "0 units" last month while Toyota is at it.

enthusiastx11 - 11/9/2011 12:06:52 PM

-1 Boost

why?

Joe_Limon - 11/9/2011 12:36:58 PM

+1 Boost

huu, you do realize Toyota sells much more volume then both Korean makes. Wouldn't it be better to badge it as a toyo... wait it already is one :D

kpaxx - 11/9/2011 2:34:40 PM

+1 Boost

Why stop with just the one!

asafianow - 11/10/2011 10:08:39 AM

+1 Boost

This car was forced upon the American market. Focus Groups all touted this to be the revolutionary car. High MPG, comfort, larger than the Prius... and actually when the new Prius came out, they were selling for over sticker, so this was cheaper!

This car never received the marketing campaign that the CT200h did, and it was a mistake for them to not even have a brochure. They could have made this car work, but they never put the effort into it.

enthusiastx11 - 11/12/2011 1:08:43 PM

+1 Boost

wow, talk about naive.

first: focus groups shouldn't be deciding which products to make. innovators make great products. period. and people run to buy them. apple, for example, NEVER uses focus groups.

second: marketing can't sell a car if the product is weak. only the dumbest lexus customer would pay $10,000 more for a hybrid that gets 15mpg LESS than a prius. that's why it failed. nobody wants an overpriced, low-mileage hybrid.

PlanB - 11/11/2011 9:54:01 AM

+1 Boost

Me too in the few years its been out I can probably count on one hand the amount of times I've seen this car on the road.

quizz - 11/11/2011 12:44:29 PM

+1 Boost

Let's look at how unattractive this car is, first and foremost; it's easily the worst looking of all the "bland" Lexus models, and that's saying a lot. If this concept had been better looking, it would have sold because you would've captured the female demographics.