Filed under: Car Buying, Hybrids/Alternative, Sedans/Saloons, Green, Lexus
Lexus exceeds LS600h sales target by three hundred percent
Remember when the Lexus LS 600h was on the way, and there was head-scratching aplenty about the $100K+ price and the delay? At the time, Lexus said it only planned to sell 2,000 of the hybrid cruisers per year, and that they already had orders for 1,650 of them. Then the car came out, and in spite of being treated rather unkindly by the motoring press and boasting a less-than-stellar MPG improvement, it has sold 6,093 worldwide through October. The car only went on sale in July.
Lexus calls the car the "progressive person's alternative." The New York Times called the car the "new standard for automotive hyperbole." After only a few months of sales, it is far too early to call -- but it would be interesting to see if Lexus has done the same thing with the LS that Toyota did with the Prius: no matter what you might think of it, it allows people to make a statement.
While Mercedes and Audi are busy working on... something, and hydrogen BMWs shuttle celebs hither, Lexus has a car on lots that lets luxury buyers make the claim, "I care." (Remember, this isn't about what you think of the statement, so keep the comments civil.) Whichever one the buyers are going for -- progressive, hyperbole, statement, or something else -- it appears to be working.
[Source: AutoblogGreen]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
paul 6:33PM (12/04/2007)
That car is just about as pointless as the Chevy Tahoe Hybrid. Just about.
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VP 6:51PM (12/04/2007)
The Tahoe Hybrid is pointless how? Because it actually gets as good a mileage in the city as most 4 banger sedans? Because it carry 8 people & cargo while doing that?
paul34 7:04PM (12/04/2007)
Right, because "4-banger sedans" average a whopping 22.7 MPG, right?
(comment @ VP, not paul)
paul 7:09PM (12/04/2007)
@VP:
My neighbor has a Chevy Tahoe Hybrid actually and his on-board computer says he is averaging 16.8 mpg. He drives mostly city driving with a bit of highway on the weekends. The thing is, 20mpg is mostly coasting mpg, but when you need to get off the line at a red light it sucks the same amount of gas as a normal car would. Its the same with the Prius, the Camry Hybrid, the Civic, Accord, etc.
caddydave 7:40PM (12/04/2007)
Paul, you sir, are a flat out liar. The hybrid version can be ordered, but will not be out until after the first of the year. liar, liar, liar.
paul 7:41PM (12/04/2007)
if you require proof i will gladly offer it.
AltairDusk 8:10PM (12/04/2007)
Paul, I fail to see why the Tahoe hybrid is pointless. While I am dubious of the Camry mileage claims the fact of the matter is it gets better mileage and produces less emissions than a similarly configured non-hybrid Tahoe. Why people love to rail against it in comments is beyond me.
why not the LS2LS7? 8:39PM (12/04/2007)
okay paul: prove it (you offered).
With the two-mode hybrid in the Tahoe, it is supposed to do better off the line because it is using the energy stored in the batteries from braking. I'm not saying it does, since I've never driven one. But that's the theory, and it works on the Prius.
VP 8:50PM (12/04/2007)
@ Paul,
Is your friend named Lutz or Wagoner? Funny the tahoe siblings in the hyrbid are not out yet, but ur friend has one?
AMcA 9:19PM (12/04/2007)
This bodes hugely well for the hybrid Tahoe.
LD600h at home in LaJolla.
Hybrid Tahoe at the place in Sun Valley.
oil oil man 6:34PM (12/04/2007)
I test drove a production prototype at Taste Lexus.
Good jesus this is a sweet car. With battery boost the thing pulls like a V12 when you put the hammer down.
But at the event they were claiming only 20mpg. I would think a diesel would do better.
There is nothing environmentally friendly about this car and they should stop pretending there is.
I'd still drive one if someone gave me one.
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paul34 7:08PM (12/04/2007)
Well, in all fairness, MPG doesn't necessarily correlate to environmental friendliness. Even if the MPG gain/loss is ridiculous at best (such as the case with this car or something like the Chevy Tahoe hybrid), emissions are still significantly reduced.
All that aside, the new LS600 is a very impressive car indeed.
British_Rover 8:55PM (12/04/2007)
"taste of Lexus"
So what does Lexus taste like? I am guessing something like Melba toast.
Quentin 6:41PM (12/04/2007)
To the layman, though, this looks like any other large Lexus. There is a normal gasoline counterpart unlike the Prius.
I do like the LS, though. It fills the space that mercedes voided when they decided to go weird with the recent styling on the S.
~~Quentin
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rayjht 6:44PM (12/04/2007)
What soem of you fail to realize is that some people NEED a large SUV or heck they want one. If I can get the same city MPG as a Toyota Camry with a large SUV then there is a great point. I can carry eight people and get MPG's in the twenty's plus still tow my boat or what ever else I need.
Now this car is almost pointless if you ask me. It does not give fuel economy gains that are meaning full. However it does lower emission output which is a good thing. Still only 18% of CO product comes from passenger cars so at the end of the day it means nothing but it help hybrid trolls feel good. When the real pollutants are power and chemical plants in addition to large fleet vehicles like 18 wheelers and Air Planes
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wormyguy 7:47PM (12/04/2007)
"It does not give fuel economy gains that are meaning full."
You mean, meaningful.
Ligor 8:55AM (12/05/2007)
Sorry but I got to call bullshiiit on you here
you load the tahoe up with 8 people adn you'll get 15mpg.
you load the regular tahoe up with 8 people you'll get 10mpg.
I had drove a Expedition to Chicago and back last year and it was only 2 of us in the car - we average 10.3mpg
- right now we have a Hybrid Tahoe we're working with-developing some parts for it-and I can tell you 22mpg is just like the claim that the Prius makes 55mpg, FALSE
RayJ 10:51AM (12/05/2007)
Actually unlike when the Prius EPA number came out th 08 number are more realistic and have been adjust for closer to real number putout so it is not like the Prius number and it does not matter if you don't believe it if it is true. Sorry if you want to disbelieve want you want the Tahoe hybrid get's 50% increase in city MPG and that huge and meaningful even if you guys don't want to admit it.
Andrew 6:47PM (12/04/2007)
i hate the ls600h because it's a way to cash in on the hybrid image toyota has built. it is bigger, heavier, slower, and less efficient than a GS450h. if you're buying a $100k car, you don't worry about gas prices. check out the review at edmunds.
however, i am not surprised by its successful sales.
by the way, there are 2 "Andrew"s on autoblog. I can't change my profile because I get a login error (I'm guessing the system recognizes the other Andrew properly, though)
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SuperSkyline89 7:42AM (12/05/2007)
"it is bigger, heavier, slower, and less efficient than a GS450h"
Really? Come on, that's like saying a S-Class Benz is bigger than a C-Class. The GS is their midrange luxury car, the LS is the top range one, obviously it's going to be bigger, heavier, slower, and less efficient.