Frankfurt Preview: Lexus LF-Ch joins Toyota Auris Hybrid, plug-in Prius and two iQ concepts

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 11:25:00 EST

Filed under: Concept Cars, Frankfurt Motor Show, Hybrid, Hatchback, Lexus, Toyota

Lexus LF-Ch concept - Click above for high-res image gallery

With just a few weeks left before the Frankfurt Motor Show kicks off in high gear, Lexus has decided its high time to let loose a single teaser image of its hotly anticipated hybrid hatchback concept. The C-Segment model carries the LF-Ch designation and not the recently trademarked CT nameplate as first thought, making us wonder if there's something else up the automaker's corporate sleeve in the near future.

"Think BMW 1 Series, but hybrid." That's how Lexus describes the LF-Ch, and you could easily add the Audi A3 and Volvo C30 to that list of competitors. Underhood will be some form of Toyota's Hybrid Synergy Drive, though the Japanese automaker has yet to release any actual powertrain details beyond that. Expect a more detailed explanation of the car's finer points in the run up to Frankfurt.

Across the showroom floor in Toyota's display will be the Auris HSD concept - which Toyota says is the first application of its hybrid technology in a mainstream model... other than the Prius, we presume - along with a plug-in version of its third-generation 2010 Prius and two separate concepts based on the diminutive iQ. Click past the break for the official press release and see the whole shebang in our gallery below.

Gallery: Frankfurt 2009: Lexus and Toyota preview

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Frankfurt Preview: Lexus LF-Ch joins Toyota Auris Hybrid, plug-in Prius and two iQ concepts originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 01 Sep 2009 11:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Toyota pledges plug-in hybrid with Li-ion batteries by 2010

John Neff — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 10:57:00 EST

Filed under: Hybrid, Green, Toyota

My fiance and my parents are both in the market for a new car, and they both want the Prius. Too bad, I told them, because there's a global shortage of nickel-metal hydride batteries that's crippling the supply of Toyota's feel good go machine. I didn't bother telling them that the Prius is essentially a relatively old vehicle by today's standards and that new green machines like the series hybrid Chevy Volt and plug-in versions of the Saturn Vue Green Line and Ford Escape Hybrid are right around the corner. While the next-gen Prius is also right around corner (should debut in January at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show, but will reportedly still use NiMH batteries), Toyota recently gave its word that it would also have a plug-in hybrid vehicle using lithium-ion batteries on sale in Japan, the U.S. and Europe by 2010. That's a bold claim, as few manufacturers have been so confident that production-viable li-ion batteries will be ready by then (General Motors being the notable exception). Toyota has partnered with electronics giant Matsushita, however, and their joint-venture will begin producing lithium-ion batteries in 2009 and ramp up to full production in 2010. Other than that, we know very little about Toyota's 2010 plug-in hybrid, other than that it should get great gas mileage. Toyota also announced that it's setting up a battery research department to develop a new type of battery that can even outperform li-ions. The point is, I'm not going to let my friends and family buy a Prius right now, or any other hybrid for that matter. There's too much next-gen green technology that's right on our door step, and when these green 2.0 vehicles arrive, the Prius will appear downright dirty by comparison.

[Source: The Detroit Free Press]

Toyota pledges plug-in hybrid with Li-ion batteries by 2010 originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 11 Jun 2008 10:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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