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Lexus hybrid SUV orders set record
9,000 'pre-sold' orders; customers can track birth of their car
Toyota
The Lexus RX 400h was unveiled at the start of 2004 and should be in showrooms by early 2005.
By Miguel Llanos
MSNBC
Updated: 11:09 a.m. ET Sept. 8, 2004What'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.
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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.
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"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.
Upcoming hybrids
DaimlerChrysler
Late 2004: diesel-electric Dodge Ram pickup with 15 percent mileage boost.
Ford
Late summer 2004: Escape SUV, front-wheel-drive version will double mileage to 35-40 mpg in city driving.
2007: Mercury Mariner SUV, no details yet on mileage.
General Motors
Summer 2004: GMC Sierra and Chevrolet Silverado pickups that increase fuel economy 10-12 percent.
2006: Saturn Vue SUV, with 15 percent mpg increase.
2007: 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
Late 2004: Accord that company says will deliver V6 performance with fuel economy equivalent to a four-cylinder Civic.
Toyota
Early 2005: Lexus RX 400h SUV, nearly double mileage of comparable RX 330.
February 2005: Highlander SUV, no mpg estimate but Toyota says it will travel 600 miles on tank of gas.
Honda, the first to sell a hybrid in the United States, has two models out and plans a hybrid Civic 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 water 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.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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