This is the much better looking Lexus HS 250h that we won't get

The Lexus HS 250h was put to rest in the US at the beginning of this year, but it is apparently being offered a way back onto the mortal coil in the Japanese market. This is reputedly a picture of what the JDM-spec entry-level Lexus hybrid sedan will look like, and what a difference 11 months makes. It appears that only the front clip changed, the brand's new design language giving it much more visual oomph than the hyped-up hybrid Corolla look we were offered.

It doesn't hurt that the front treatment virtually clones the 2013 Lexus ES, the blacked-out center bar in the spindle grille adding some aggression to the smaller package. The rest of the slow-seller's exterior looks to be carried over largely as it was when it left us, and a report by Lexus Enthusiast indicates the model's resurrection is scheduled to go on sale in Japan by the end of this month.