Lexus hybrid SUV orders set record

What's the hottest Lexus that's not on the market yet? A gas-electric SUV that gets higher mileage and emits fewer pollutants than its gas-only rivals.

Lexus said this week that its dealers had taken more than 9,000 "pre-sold" orders for the 2006 RX 400h through the end of August.

That's "significantly more pre-launch orders for the 400h than we've had for any vehicle in our entire 15-year history," Lexus General Manager Denny Clements said in a statement.

Plans had been to sell the 400h by year-end, but Lexus recently pushed that back to early next year.

New birthing system
Lexus this week said it will provide wait-list customers with detailed information on manufacturing and shipment schedules. Customers will even get to take part in the birth of their car, Lexus said, as dealers will be able to assign a customer's name to a specific 400h before production and then track it through delivery.

Toyota Like other hybrids, the Lexus RX 400h includes hardware (silver) that allows the gas engine to work in conjunction with its electric motor.

"Although we're pleased with the early public response to the 400h, we are mindful of our need to respond to these customers in a timely manner," Clements said.

Lexus added that a specific timeline for showroom models will be announced after pre-production prototypes are tested later this month. 

Lexus, a Toyota division, hasn't set pricing yet but the 400h is comparable to a Lexus RX 330, which lists for around $36,000. Hybrids typically run from $2,000-$4,000 more than their gas-only siblings.

Some specs
Lexus said preliminary specs for the 400h include:

• 270 horsepower.
• Mileage "significantly better" than the 28 mpg that an average compact sedan gets.
• New pollution controls.

"You can drive the 400h from Los Angeles to New York and back nine times and produce less smog-forming emissions than painting a room in your house," Toyota Vice President Irv Miller told industry analysts earlier this year.

Lexus hasn't said how many 400hs it plans to manufacture monthly, and industry watchers caution it may take some time before Lexus can deliver them to consumers.

Other hybrids
Toyota said its other promised hybrid, a gas-electric Highlander SUV, would follow the 400h debut. It already markets the best-selling hybrid Prius sedan.

Available & upcoming hybrids DaimlerChrysler Diesel-electric Dodge Ram: Pickup gets 15 percent mileage boost. 2008: Dodge Durango SUV with 25 percent mileage improvement. Ford Escape Hybrid: SUV rated at 36 in city driving with two-wheel-drive model, nearly double that of the gas-only Escape. Highway driving rated at 31 mpg. Mercury Mariner SUV: 33 mpg in the city, 29 on the highway. 2007: Mazda Tribute SUV, no mileage data yet. 2008: Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan sedans, no mileage data yet. General Motors GMC Sierra/Chevrolet Silverado: 2WD models get 18 mpg city, 21 mpg highway for an increase of 10-12 percent over gasoline siblings. Saturn Vue: SUV rated at 27 mpg in city and 32 mpg highway — a 20 percent increase over gasoline sibling. 2007: Saturn Aura sedan, no specs available. Chevy Tahoe, GMC Yukon, up to 35 percent mpg boost. Chevrolet Malibu, 15 percent increase. 2008: Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra pickups that get up to 35 percent mpg increase. Honda Insight: two-door rated at 56 mpg on highway and in city but discontinued starting in 2007 model year. Civic Hybrid: four-door rated at 51 mpg on highway and 49 mpg in city. Accord Hybrid: rated at 35 mpg on the highway, 29 mpg in the city. Nissan Fall 2006: Hybrid version of midsize Altima. Toyota Prius: Sedan rated at 60 mph in city, 51 mpg on highway. Lexus RX 400h: SUV rated at 31 mpg in city driving, two thirds more than its gas-only RX 330 sibling. Highlander Hybrid: SUV is rated at 32/27 mpg in city/highway driving based on two-wheel-drive model. Lexus GS 450h: Sports sedan rated at 25 mpg in city and 28 mpg highway, along with 339 horsepower. Camry Hybrid: Sedan rated at 40 mpg in city, 38 on highway.

Honda, the first to sell a hybrid in the United States, has two models out and plans a hybrid Accord by year-end.

Other carmakers are following, particularly Ford which was first with a hybrid SUV. The hybrid Escape made its debut this month.

The industry sees hybrids as a platform to eventually use with fuel cells, which would replace internal combustion engines by combining hydrogen and oxygen to create electricity that would power a vehicle.

"Our hybrid system will also make up the heart of our hydrogen fuel-cell program," Toyota President Fujio Cho told an industry conference last month.

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