BMW has M, MB has AMG, Audi has S, and Lexus has "h".
03-22-06, 07:19 PM
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BMW has M, MB has AMG, Audi has S, and Lexus has "h".
Eyes on the Road by Joseph B. White
Wall Street Journal March 21, 2006
Lexus Unveils Another Face of Hybrid Technology
BMW owns the M. Mercedes uses three letters: AMG. Audi claimed S. Now, Lexus has a new letter it wants luxury car buyers to associate with high tech, high performance driving: “h”.
That’s “h” as in hybrid. Since last fall. Lexus has offered a hybrid version of its RX crossover wagon. In May, it will roll out a hybrid edition of its GS sedan – a large-ish car that slots between the midsize ES and the top of the line LS. The new hybrid GS450h represents the other face of hybrid technology – the face that gets a big grin when the foot goes down on the accelerator.
The new GS combines a 3.5 liter V-6 gasoline engine with a sophisticated battery driven electric drive system – the first ever brought to market on a rear wheel drive car. The result: a $54,900 car rated at 339 horsepower – more than European luxury V-8s such as the Mercedes E500 and the Audi A-6 V-8 – and with acceleration so quick that Lexus claims this 4,134 pound car can dash from a standstill to 60 miles per hour in just 5.2 seconds.
The government and Toyota expect the GS450h will average 25 miles per gallon in the city and 28 on the highway. But your mileage may vary – in a big way. During a test drive program on desert highways in the Lake Mead National Park east of Las Vegas, the fuel economy computer on a GS450h I drove registered an average 20.8 miles per gallon. But another GS450h I drove had racked up mileage just below 16 miles per gallon for the day – presumably because some lead footed auto writers didn’t heed the warnings about vigilant park police.
That said, the GS450h is a very quick and very quiet car. Acceleration in a passing maneuver or running uphill happens immediately – there’s no waiting for the transmission to drop down a gear. In fact, there aren’t any gears in the conventional sense. In the hotel parking lot, the GS maneuvers around in virtual silence, because it’s running on battery power. If we’d encountered a traffic jam in the desert – and Las Vegas traffic can be brutal – we could have crept along in stealth mode for at least a little while wit the air conditioning on. (The climate control runs on electricity, not the gasoline engine.)
The GS450h will have a base price of $54,900. How much gasoline will you save buying it instead of, say, a $57,400 BMW 550i (rated mileage of 26 city, 23 highway) or a $33,625 Chrysler 300C Hemi (340 horsepower with rated mileage of 16/25)? Good question. A conventional GS430, rated at 300 horsepower, has an EPA mileage rating of 18 miles per gallon city, 25 highway. The GS450h is $1,090 more expensive than a well loaded GS430, Lexus says. But if you are shopping in this price range, the $500 or so you might save on gas if you drove a rival V-8 luxury sedan isn’t really a big deal.
As with other hybrids, the real mileage advantage comes in the city at low speeds. On the highway, the hybrid’s efficiency is offset by the weight of the battery pack and the extra hardware in the drivetrain. At highway speeds, much of the power is coming from the gasoline motor.
But ultimate fuel economy is not Lexus’s goal with this car. This is about enhancing the brand’s image.
Since 1990, Lexus has marched from oxymoron – “Is there really such a thing as a Japanese luxury car?” - to the No. 1 luxury brand in the U.S. primarily because the cars delivered near flawless quality, bulletproof reliability, and first class quiet and comfort. Those who wanted growling engines and taut steering stuck with BMWs.
Bob Carter, group vice president and general manager of Lexus, says the luxury car market has bifurcated – one side is about comfort, the other is about sportiness. Lexus has responded to this by developing two distinct lines of cars. In April, Lexus plans to launch the latest addition to its lineup of “comfort luxury” cars, the redesigned ES350 sedan, which replaces the old ES330 with a car that is, according to Lexus, quieter and roomier than the original LS400 sedan launched in 1990.
While the ES350 anchors the $30,000 – to - $40,000 price segment for comfort luxury buyers, the recently launched IS sedans are going after performance oriented buyers in the same price range who might otherwise buy and Infiniti G35 or a BMW 325i.
The next piece in the puzzle is better exploiting performance hybrid technology. With all the money Toyota has in the bank, Lexus could probably develop a conventional gasoline engine as awesomely complex and potent as the 500 horsepower, 10 cylinder motor in the BMW M5 sedan. BMW has spent years cultivating its “M” high performance brand as the ultimate in ultimate driving machines, and is making broader use of the designation, launching a 330 horsepower M version of its Z4 roadster this spring.
But how distinctive would it be for Lexus to follow BMW step for step? Not very. Lexus has enough trouble with luxury car connoisseurs and rivals who snipe that it’s just knocking of the big German brands, in a higher quality, less soulful way. Instead, Lexus will offer a different kind of high tech under the “h” banner. Their GS450h is a car with the gas mileage of a large V-6, that delivers the performance of a large V-8 with 80% less in the way of smog forming exhaust emissions.
Green conscious consumers who admire the high mileage Toyota Prius don’t like such uses of hybrid technology so well. But with the GS450h, Lexus plans to start in earnest the re-education of the buying public.
“If we had a sport sedan and put in a 5.6 liter V-8, that would be understood.” Mr. Carter says. “Or if we had turbo-charged it, that would have been understood.” To explain why it makes better sense to juice performance by using a battery-electric system that uses two electric motors mated to a continuously variable transmission, Lexus plans to revive the kinds of text heavy automobile print advertising that’s been rare in the business of late. The basic message: Hybrid performance is “chocolate with no calories,” Mr. Carter says.
The outlines of Lexus’s formula are becoming plain to see. The GS450h turns a V-6 into a V-8, as far as performance is concerned. Next month, look for Lexus to use the New York Auto show to unveil its next step: a Lexus LS460 V-8 that uses hybrid technology to approach the performance of German V-12 powered super sedans such as the BMW 760iL, without a gas-guzzler tax.
Wall Street Journal March 21, 2006
Lexus Unveils Another Face of Hybrid Technology
BMW owns the M. Mercedes uses three letters: AMG. Audi claimed S. Now, Lexus has a new letter it wants luxury car buyers to associate with high tech, high performance driving: “h”.
That’s “h” as in hybrid. Since last fall. Lexus has offered a hybrid version of its RX crossover wagon. In May, it will roll out a hybrid edition of its GS sedan – a large-ish car that slots between the midsize ES and the top of the line LS. The new hybrid GS450h represents the other face of hybrid technology – the face that gets a big grin when the foot goes down on the accelerator.
The new GS combines a 3.5 liter V-6 gasoline engine with a sophisticated battery driven electric drive system – the first ever brought to market on a rear wheel drive car. The result: a $54,900 car rated at 339 horsepower – more than European luxury V-8s such as the Mercedes E500 and the Audi A-6 V-8 – and with acceleration so quick that Lexus claims this 4,134 pound car can dash from a standstill to 60 miles per hour in just 5.2 seconds.
The government and Toyota expect the GS450h will average 25 miles per gallon in the city and 28 on the highway. But your mileage may vary – in a big way. During a test drive program on desert highways in the Lake Mead National Park east of Las Vegas, the fuel economy computer on a GS450h I drove registered an average 20.8 miles per gallon. But another GS450h I drove had racked up mileage just below 16 miles per gallon for the day – presumably because some lead footed auto writers didn’t heed the warnings about vigilant park police.
That said, the GS450h is a very quick and very quiet car. Acceleration in a passing maneuver or running uphill happens immediately – there’s no waiting for the transmission to drop down a gear. In fact, there aren’t any gears in the conventional sense. In the hotel parking lot, the GS maneuvers around in virtual silence, because it’s running on battery power. If we’d encountered a traffic jam in the desert – and Las Vegas traffic can be brutal – we could have crept along in stealth mode for at least a little while wit the air conditioning on. (The climate control runs on electricity, not the gasoline engine.)
The GS450h will have a base price of $54,900. How much gasoline will you save buying it instead of, say, a $57,400 BMW 550i (rated mileage of 26 city, 23 highway) or a $33,625 Chrysler 300C Hemi (340 horsepower with rated mileage of 16/25)? Good question. A conventional GS430, rated at 300 horsepower, has an EPA mileage rating of 18 miles per gallon city, 25 highway. The GS450h is $1,090 more expensive than a well loaded GS430, Lexus says. But if you are shopping in this price range, the $500 or so you might save on gas if you drove a rival V-8 luxury sedan isn’t really a big deal.
As with other hybrids, the real mileage advantage comes in the city at low speeds. On the highway, the hybrid’s efficiency is offset by the weight of the battery pack and the extra hardware in the drivetrain. At highway speeds, much of the power is coming from the gasoline motor.
But ultimate fuel economy is not Lexus’s goal with this car. This is about enhancing the brand’s image.
Since 1990, Lexus has marched from oxymoron – “Is there really such a thing as a Japanese luxury car?” - to the No. 1 luxury brand in the U.S. primarily because the cars delivered near flawless quality, bulletproof reliability, and first class quiet and comfort. Those who wanted growling engines and taut steering stuck with BMWs.
Bob Carter, group vice president and general manager of Lexus, says the luxury car market has bifurcated – one side is about comfort, the other is about sportiness. Lexus has responded to this by developing two distinct lines of cars. In April, Lexus plans to launch the latest addition to its lineup of “comfort luxury” cars, the redesigned ES350 sedan, which replaces the old ES330 with a car that is, according to Lexus, quieter and roomier than the original LS400 sedan launched in 1990.
While the ES350 anchors the $30,000 – to - $40,000 price segment for comfort luxury buyers, the recently launched IS sedans are going after performance oriented buyers in the same price range who might otherwise buy and Infiniti G35 or a BMW 325i.
The next piece in the puzzle is better exploiting performance hybrid technology. With all the money Toyota has in the bank, Lexus could probably develop a conventional gasoline engine as awesomely complex and potent as the 500 horsepower, 10 cylinder motor in the BMW M5 sedan. BMW has spent years cultivating its “M” high performance brand as the ultimate in ultimate driving machines, and is making broader use of the designation, launching a 330 horsepower M version of its Z4 roadster this spring.
But how distinctive would it be for Lexus to follow BMW step for step? Not very. Lexus has enough trouble with luxury car connoisseurs and rivals who snipe that it’s just knocking of the big German brands, in a higher quality, less soulful way. Instead, Lexus will offer a different kind of high tech under the “h” banner. Their GS450h is a car with the gas mileage of a large V-6, that delivers the performance of a large V-8 with 80% less in the way of smog forming exhaust emissions.
Green conscious consumers who admire the high mileage Toyota Prius don’t like such uses of hybrid technology so well. But with the GS450h, Lexus plans to start in earnest the re-education of the buying public.
“If we had a sport sedan and put in a 5.6 liter V-8, that would be understood.” Mr. Carter says. “Or if we had turbo-charged it, that would have been understood.” To explain why it makes better sense to juice performance by using a battery-electric system that uses two electric motors mated to a continuously variable transmission, Lexus plans to revive the kinds of text heavy automobile print advertising that’s been rare in the business of late. The basic message: Hybrid performance is “chocolate with no calories,” Mr. Carter says.
The outlines of Lexus’s formula are becoming plain to see. The GS450h turns a V-6 into a V-8, as far as performance is concerned. Next month, look for Lexus to use the New York Auto show to unveil its next step: a Lexus LS460 V-8 that uses hybrid technology to approach the performance of German V-12 powered super sedans such as the BMW 760iL, without a gas-guzzler tax.
03-22-06, 07:24 PM
#2
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Good read, I want to say its also in this months Automobile (Same writer perhaps?)
I think these early hybrids are just a test, more fuel efficient and more powerful ones are to come. Its not like the first AMG or M cars had 500hp out the box.
As a matter of fact, this GS450h has more HP than the e34 M5 with its I-6. Though that car is what 15 years old
I think these early hybrids are just a test, more fuel efficient and more powerful ones are to come. Its not like the first AMG or M cars had 500hp out the box.
As a matter of fact, this GS450h has more HP than the e34 M5 with its I-6. Though that car is what 15 years old
03-22-06, 10:26 PM
#5
h is probably a "special" lexus to some, but i really don't see how it can be associated with m, amg, and s. it has a bit more power, but damn if this is lexus' attempt to compete in power and performance, i have to say they are doing a **** poor job. handling is far from decent, and power wise it's no where close to their competitors.
imho the h is "special" in a sense that it gives customer a different choice, something new and especially the idea of fuel economy but high displacement power.
i am still waiting for lexus to open up their real performance division
imho the h is "special" in a sense that it gives customer a different choice, something new and especially the idea of fuel economy but high displacement power.
i am still waiting for lexus to open up their real performance division
03-22-06, 10:30 PM
#6
Originally Posted by rominl
handling is far from decent, and power wise it's no where close to their competitors.
I have to agree with the handling part. An Acura integra probably has more soul and character than most if not all Lexus. Steering is too light and loose. I feel as if my steering was electronically controlled
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03-22-06, 11:14 PM
#8
Originally Posted by genearch
I think the GS450 is certainly a step in the right direction, but... I just don't get the hybrid value add.. it's one thing to be "green" but as proven by others, hybrid does not necessarily equate to a savings of dollars and until there is a real value there... hybrid cars like these will simply be "chic" with the green crowd. Hopefully as the technology evolves, this car can shed 300 or so pounds.
My car has 360+ HP and i drive it a lightly spirited mode... and I'm averaging over 21mpg... they need to get these to well over 30 to get a second look from me.
My car has 360+ HP and i drive it a lightly spirited mode... and I'm averaging over 21mpg... they need to get these to well over 30 to get a second look from me.
regardless, to me if we are talking about performance and chasing after m, amg, or s, forget about gas price. that's the least of our concern.
03-23-06, 12:00 AM
#9
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Originally Posted by rominl
i thought edmunds people drove it hard but still get like 25mpg?
regardless, to me if we are talking about performance and chasing after m, amg, or s, forget about gas price. that's the least of our concern.
regardless, to me if we are talking about performance and chasing after m, amg, or s, forget about gas price. that's the least of our concern.
And I think this was the best line The basic message: Hybrid performance is “chocolate with no calories"
03-23-06, 12:28 AM
#10
Originally Posted by genearch
I think the GS450 is certainly a step in the right direction, but... I just don't get the hybrid value add.. it's one thing to be "green" but as proven by others, hybrid does not necessarily equate to a savings of dollars and until there is a real value there... hybrid cars like these will simply be "chic" with the green crowd. Hopefully as the technology evolves, this car can shed 300 or so pounds.
My car has 360+ HP and i drive it a lightly spirited mode... and I'm averaging over 21mpg... they need to get these to well over 30 to get a second look from me.
My car has 360+ HP and i drive it a lightly spirited mode... and I'm averaging over 21mpg... they need to get these to well over 30 to get a second look from me.
Autoweek got 22-24 I think with theirs, and they said something about it... If you check their test of Mazda MPS, they go only 20mpg with that car, which is a lot slower and smaller in every possible way :-).
p.s. didnt Autoweek say how GS450h involves driver in a way most cars in this class dont? :-).
03-23-06, 03:16 AM
#11
I agree that the 'h' does not equate to 'S' / "AMG" / "M" -- and frankly the comparison is a bit off.
Lexus uses 'h' along with the 'd' in IS 220d. It's not an 'AMG' type moniker by those standards, it is more like an engine distinction like 325i.
The hybrid tech is several degrees--perhaps halfway or a quarter even--towards the performance side, in Lexus hybrids (unlike Toyota hybrids).
I hope too that Lexus starts its own performance division, perhaps timed with the launch of the GT 500 supercoupe. Then perhaps we can see a lineup of 'GT' special cars...imagine IS 500 GT, GS 500 GT, SC 460 GT etc. And can you imagine what Lexus engineers and design know-how can do, if they applied the same ingenuity and high standards to creating a sporting experience that they do for the luxury experience? What their special styling cues, interior gauges, seats, etc could look like?
Now some may argue that Lexus should stick to luxury, which it excels at. I agree, but the trend of at least 1/2 the market towards sporty luxury means Lexus needs to approach lead, not follow, in this area and I feel that bolstering the performance side of the division without compromising luxury would be a huge plus. And I feel that a performance division, within strict limits, can benefit Lexus, globally even.
Lexus uses 'h' along with the 'd' in IS 220d. It's not an 'AMG' type moniker by those standards, it is more like an engine distinction like 325i.
The hybrid tech is several degrees--perhaps halfway or a quarter even--towards the performance side, in Lexus hybrids (unlike Toyota hybrids).
I hope too that Lexus starts its own performance division, perhaps timed with the launch of the GT 500 supercoupe. Then perhaps we can see a lineup of 'GT' special cars...imagine IS 500 GT, GS 500 GT, SC 460 GT etc. And can you imagine what Lexus engineers and design know-how can do, if they applied the same ingenuity and high standards to creating a sporting experience that they do for the luxury experience? What their special styling cues, interior gauges, seats, etc could look like?
Now some may argue that Lexus should stick to luxury, which it excels at. I agree, but the trend of at least 1/2 the market towards sporty luxury means Lexus needs to approach lead, not follow, in this area and I feel that bolstering the performance side of the division without compromising luxury would be a huge plus. And I feel that a performance division, within strict limits, can benefit Lexus, globally even.
03-23-06, 03:52 AM
#12
Is that right about the 550i? It has better city milage than highway? 26/23, if that correct or even 23/26 seem high for a car like that; 4.8L V8 with 360hp/360tq getting that kind of milage, if it does get that, Im jealous, my 250hp 4.0 doesnt even get that (haha). I found 15/23 on fueleconomy.gov which seems more reasonable to me.
For some reason Lexus' "H" seems a little out of place sitting up there next to "M," "AMG," and "S." The last three have resouces and special development teams, as does Lexus with the H, but they are purely performance oriented; the "H" thus far seems like a hybrid just trying to keep level with their full-time gas powered siblings. I think the "H" monikar is better placed the likes of Volkswagen's TDI or something. IMO 2-3 MPG better out of a hybrid doesn't mean much to a lot of people, especially those who are skeptical about long term maintenance. As seen with the discrepency in MPG in the article, unless you're extremely light-footed, the hybrid doesn't seem to mean much...
"But ultimate fuel economy is not Lexus’s goal with this car. This is about enhancing the brand’s image."
Does anyone else wonder about this statement? Is Lexus trying to say they can build a fast hybrid that may or may not increase MPG? We're eco-friendly while burning the same amount of gas as a gas only powered car?
For some reason Lexus' "H" seems a little out of place sitting up there next to "M," "AMG," and "S." The last three have resouces and special development teams, as does Lexus with the H, but they are purely performance oriented; the "H" thus far seems like a hybrid just trying to keep level with their full-time gas powered siblings. I think the "H" monikar is better placed the likes of Volkswagen's TDI or something. IMO 2-3 MPG better out of a hybrid doesn't mean much to a lot of people, especially those who are skeptical about long term maintenance. As seen with the discrepency in MPG in the article, unless you're extremely light-footed, the hybrid doesn't seem to mean much...
"But ultimate fuel economy is not Lexus’s goal with this car. This is about enhancing the brand’s image."
Does anyone else wonder about this statement? Is Lexus trying to say they can build a fast hybrid that may or may not increase MPG? We're eco-friendly while burning the same amount of gas as a gas only powered car?
Last edited by 92 SC400; 03-23-06 at 04:09 AM.
03-23-06, 03:57 AM
#13
Originally Posted by enigma354
I agree that the 'h' does not equate to 'S' / "AMG" / "M" -- and frankly the comparison is a bit off.
Lexus uses 'h' along with the 'd' in IS 220d. It's not an 'AMG' type moniker by those standards, it is more like an engine distinction like 325i.
The hybrid tech is several degrees--perhaps halfway or a quarter even--towards the performance side, in Lexus hybrids (unlike Toyota hybrids).
I hope too that Lexus starts its own performance division, perhaps timed with the launch of the GT 500 supercoupe. Then perhaps we can see a lineup of 'GT' special cars...imagine IS 500 GT, GS 500 GT, SC 460 GT etc. And can you imagine what Lexus engineers and design know-how can do, if they applied the same ingenuity and high standards to creating a sporting experience that they do for the luxury experience? What their special styling cues, interior gauges, seats, etc could look like?
Now some may argue that Lexus should stick to luxury, which it excels at. I agree, but the trend of at least 1/2 the market towards sporty luxury means Lexus needs to approach lead, not follow, in this area and I feel that bolstering the performance side of the division without compromising luxury would be a huge plus. And I feel that a performance division, within strict limits, can benefit Lexus, globally even.
Lexus uses 'h' along with the 'd' in IS 220d. It's not an 'AMG' type moniker by those standards, it is more like an engine distinction like 325i.
The hybrid tech is several degrees--perhaps halfway or a quarter even--towards the performance side, in Lexus hybrids (unlike Toyota hybrids).
I hope too that Lexus starts its own performance division, perhaps timed with the launch of the GT 500 supercoupe. Then perhaps we can see a lineup of 'GT' special cars...imagine IS 500 GT, GS 500 GT, SC 460 GT etc. And can you imagine what Lexus engineers and design know-how can do, if they applied the same ingenuity and high standards to creating a sporting experience that they do for the luxury experience? What their special styling cues, interior gauges, seats, etc could look like?
Now some may argue that Lexus should stick to luxury, which it excels at. I agree, but the trend of at least 1/2 the market towards sporty luxury means Lexus needs to approach lead, not follow, in this area and I feel that bolstering the performance side of the division without compromising luxury would be a huge plus. And I feel that a performance division, within strict limits, can benefit Lexus, globally even.
Last edited by 92 SC400; 03-23-06 at 04:11 AM.
03-23-06, 05:45 AM
#14
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The funny thing is a GT is just a big cruiser, not a performance mobile...
"h" is probably going to be marketed as their performance branch until they actually develop a true division. Otherwise, I agree that it's just like "d," an engine designation.
Think Dustin Hoffman will be the first to take delivery of the GS450h, and then the LS600h when it comes out?
"h" is probably going to be marketed as their performance branch until they actually develop a true division. Otherwise, I agree that it's just like "d," an engine designation.
Think Dustin Hoffman will be the first to take delivery of the GS450h, and then the LS600h when it comes out?
03-23-06, 08:28 AM
#15
Originally Posted by 92 SC400
The "i" in a Bimmers nomenclature is not an engine distinction, rather it is a body style distinction. "i" - sedan, "ci" - coupe, etc.