YotaCarFan

The naysayers were right - the HS250h really is a blinged-out Corolla!
Here's proof, on the US Govt's NHTSA website:

Go here:
http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ewr/qb/index.cfm
Under search criteria, enter the following:

• Manufacturer: Toyota Motor Corp
• Report type: Light vehicle production
• Reporting Period: Year 2009, Qtr 3

Click the resulting link to see the filings. Click "next" until you see filings for the HS250h. Here's what you'll see:

Make: Lexus
Model year: 2010
Model: HS
Total production: 4564
Type code: PC
Platform: COROLLA

Fully loaded, that Lexus Corolla will run you $50K! I have no problem with platform sharing, as I understand it reduces costs and allows leveraging of tried-and-true designs, but this is just too funny!

Magellan55

That's a bit depressing, but i'm not sure how much you can really read into this. Just looking at the Acura TSX for comparison, which is well-known to be based on the European Accord, it states the platform is "TSX2". So I think the manufacturer can put in whatever they want to this database, true or not, and it's certainly possible they decided to put something familiar to americans rather than the European model. Heck, maybe it allowed them to cut some corners on safety certifications if they said it was based on a Corolla.

Or maybe you're right, and it really is a Corolla, and Lexus is just trying to hide it from us by calling it a tarted-up euro sedan :-(

(Cj)

Well the HS has a different suspension setup than the Corolla. I'd lean toward it being to save money on certifications more than anything.

But all of Toyota's compact FWD vehicles have a lot of similarities. Most have near identical wheelbases, and the main differences between each model lies in the suspension setups and the drivetrains.

01LEXPL

iTrader: (10)

HA!

that sucks, but what the hell! If you like the car, just don't tell your non-auto enthusiast friends

CRB

It's one hell of a nice Corolla then, that's for sure.

LexFather

They are wrong. I am sure its some gov't worker who "doesn't care" and didn't even dare to check the facts. Idiot saw the pic, said "its a Corolla" and put it down.

The car shares its platform with the Avensis. Period. Not the Corolla. Anyone that has driven the HS knows while FWD, it drives much more Euro than a Corolla.

RXSF

yep ^^ avensis platform. Not sure how different the two are, but I think lexus made it clear from the beginning that this did not share any platform with any other US models.

Magellan55

Who's to say the Avensis isn't based on the Corolla? :-)

Actually, I read somewhere that the Avensis is a European Camry. So in a way, the HS's closest competitor is the Acura TSX, since it's based on the European version of the Accord...

LexFather

The Avensis is a completely separate platform from the USDM Corolla.

You are 100% correct that the Avensis is a direct competitor with the Euro Accord/TSX. Honda simply adds Acura badges and calls it a TSX.

Lexus being a real luxury brand gave the HS its own sheetmetal, its own interior, its own hybrid drivetrain.

The TSX starts at 29k here, the HS 35k.

All good cars.