It can be hard for MPVs...
It can be hard for MPVs to get noticed amongst the glamour of a motor show, but Hyundai’s latest people carrier concept was drawing plenty of attention at the Geneva expo.
IT was celebration time...
IT was celebration time for Lexus in Detroit ò€“ and Toyotaò€™s luxury arm marked its 20th birthday with the launch of a new petrol-electric hybrid.
Called the HS250h, the executive saloon is slightly shorter than the IS. It features a 184bhp 2.4-litre petrol engine, which is linked to Toyotaò€™s latest petrol-electric drivetrain.
While there isnò€™t any official fuel efficiency data yet, the eco-friendly machine is said to return even better figures than a Smart ForTwo around town ò€“ so expect at least 50mpg.
It should impress just as much beyond the city limits, thanks to a super-slippery body that results in a drag coefficient of 0.27 and CO2 emissions of around 100g/km. Unfortunately, the HS250h is aimed at the US market, and there are no plans to bring it here. However, Lexus hopes to launch a hybrid version of the IS, and the technology from the HS250h is likely to underpin the new car, which should arrive in 2010.
In the meantime, the firmò€™s latest RX450h SUV goes on sale this year, as part of Lexusò€™s aim to introduce 10 hybrid models worldwide before the end of the decade.