Shanghai show: Lexus GS300h expands hybrid hopes

LEXUS has pulled the covers off its eighth international hybrid model, showing a version of its GS mid-size sedan featuring a 2.5-litre petrol-electric four-cylinder drivetrain under its bonnet.

The GS300h, as the model is known, features the same rear-drive drivetrain as the smaller, hybrid-powered IS300h sedan due on sale in Australia in about July, and produces the same 164kW of power when the electric motors are combined with the 133kW 2.5-litre petrol engine, and 221Nm of torque.

Lexus Australia says the new model is still under consideration, but if it does come here the GS300h will be the first Lexus-badged mid-size luxury car to house a four-cylinder engine under the bonnet.

Previous generations, including the hybrid version, have used either a 3.0-litre or 3.5-litre V6 engine, or a 4.6-litre V8 powerplant.

The engine produces the same performance figures as the smaller IS, with variable valve timing on both the intake and exhaust ports lifting power significantly from the version of the Atkinson-cycle engine used in the more urbane Toyota Camry Hybrid.

The Lexus-badged car also uses cheaper nickel-metal hydride batteries instead of the more energy-dense lithium-ion ones to store its electrical energy, which is mainly scavenged from energy normally lost while the car is braking.

Lexus says the new GS model also features a colour head-up display that projects information such as road speed, navigation instructions and even pre-collision warning alerts in front of the driver’s eyes.

Fuel use for the hybrid version falls to about 6.0 litres per 100 kilometres, compared with 6.3L/100km for the much more powerful 254kW GS450h hybrid that it could usurp in the showroom.

About three out of every 10 Australian buyers opt for a hybrid model, Lexus says.

The GS300h will launch in selected overseas markets later this year.