AutoblogGreen

For $100K, I can buy a small pickup truck new, plus all of the maintenance and fuel needed to drive it for 500,000 miles.

Maybe farther than that, since I hope that battery technology is to the point that I can do a reasonable EV conversion when I wear out the ICE (~150,000 miles or so), for under $10,000, then drive it another 400,000 miles or so...

Reply

What is the point of that comparison?! You could also buy a bike with a trailer for 600 bucks, enough food for the rest of your life, with enough cash left over to rent a UHaul whenever you need to move a lot of stuff. This Lexus doesn't make any sense, you should just get the bike and trailer.
This is an extended wheel base Luxury sedan, like you might get from a BMW 7-series, MB S-class, or an Audi A8. This Lexus will offer similar power (maybe lower peak hp but a nice fat power band thanks to the electric motor) to the V-12 variants of these German cars (W-12 in audi's case), all the while using probably close to half the fuel, depending on driving conditions. I figure any Chauffeur equipped examples (as I'm sure many of these long-wheelbase version end up) spend a significant amount of time idling, so I think a hybrid drivetrain will really help.
Obviously there are much greener options than a V8 Luxury hybrid, but at least this gives a green option to those who absolutely 'must' have a vehicle like this.
Personally, I'd happily buy myself a nice new bike and save the $103K, but that doesn't mean this car is any less significant. I can't wait to see what Alan Mullaly was getting at when he mentioned something about a luxury hybrid from FoMoCo... I think they could put something out with some more interesting styling than this Lexus.

Reply

If the GS hybrid has 292hp from the V6 engine, and ~48 from the electric motors.

Is the gas engine the same 380hp V8 + ~50hp from electric motors, or does the 5.0 make that much power?

Reply