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

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

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.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Toyota wants to sell 1 million hybrids per year

Damon Lavrinc — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 16:05:00 EST

Filed under: Hybrid, Green, Toyota

Shortly after the turn of the decade, Toyota expects sales of its hybrid vehicles to crest the one million unit per year mark. ToMoCo's goal may seem a bit ambitious considering that it's only sold about 1.25 million hybrids since the Prius' introduction in 1997, but the alternative-power push will mainly be fueled by sales of upcoming plug-in hybrid models and Toyota's aim to equip every vehicle in its lineup with a hybrid drivetrain by 2020.

Testing of the plug-in version of the Prius is about to begin in the U.S., Europe and Japan, equipped with a fancy-schmancy lithium-ion battery that's being developed by Toyota and Panasonic EV Energy Co. Sales should start around 2010, assuming that all is well with the power-pack, and we're expecting even more Synergy-Drive models to bow during the upcoming 2008 show season.

[Source: Automotive News - Sub. Req.]

Toyota wants to sell 1 million hybrids per year originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 27 Dec 2007 16:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments