LexFather

Fall 2004, the RX 400h Hybrid will be out. The next gen. GS 300/430 next spring.

S2Kjane

thanks for the reply sicklex & bluepiz i wish there were plans for a smaller hybrid coupe/sedan i might need a new car next month

LexFather

Well, the Prius, though not a Lex, is built to near Lexus levels of quality. It has gotten rave reviews world-wide and far surpassing sales expectations.

Lexus has promised by 2010 all models will offer or be hybrids in one shape or form. Sorry, none yet.

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...hreadid=106556

Link to all info on the RX 400h.

mmarshall

One thing concerns me with any gas-electric hybrid. So far, all of the Toyota and Honda hybrids currently on sale have the large battery pack behind the rear seat right over the gas tank. I know these cars have to met Federal crash and fuel tank-rupture standards, and I'm sure at least some crash testing has been done. But still....there seems to be the possibility that in a major rear-end impact (and especially in the Honda Insight, an extremely small car with only 2 seats) the fuel tank could rupture enough to throw some gas out. If this same impact causes sparks in the battery case, the prospect of electric sparks and spilled gas right next to each other....well, you get the picture.

What do you guys think?.....could this be a problem? (though I haven't actually heard of many fires to date)

So far, hybrids to date have been only small compacts. Hopefully, if we get larger hybrids or hybrid Lexus products, this will not be as much a factor....there will be more metal in the car to protect the tanks and battery packs. New places for the battery packs may be found, too.

panos

Their liguid gel batteries are much more difficult to arc. Also, the tanks are smaller than in most cars. Combining these two facts with the tiny probability that in a crash both the tank raptures and a battery is crashed and it arcs you'll wind up with one of those 0.00001% probabilities. In other words, possible YES, probable NO, as they say in courts.

mmarshall

The actual probability is probably a little higher than that but your point is well-taken....like I said, I haven't actually heard of any fires from this. The battery cases do seem to be enclosed in a locked metal container that only techincians can access. The main reason I was concerned is that the Insight, especially, is a very small car with almost no crush space in back....and plastic and aluminum body panels that don't offer much resistance to a crash.

And a large car is no guarantee of protection in this area, either....a number of police officers have been injured or killed from Crown Vics going up like torches from rear-impacts, admittedly at higher speeds. Ford is working on rear-frame and tank improvents for the Crown Vic right now.

SecPole14

Toyota shows a Crown Hybrid concept on their website. I know they have the Crown Mild in Japan. Hmmm, the fact that they are showing the Crown Hybrid Concept (which would be very easy to put into production) on the Toyota US website makes me wonder.........