WORLD's FIRST LUXURY HYBRID A HIGH PERFORMANCE WINNER
The world's first high performance luxury hybrid vehicle has picked up two accolades in the prestigious International Engine of the Year Awards in Stuttgart, just six weeks after release.The Lexus RX400h luxury SUV went on sale with more than 12,500 pre-sold orders in the United States in late April, and will be released in Europe this month. Its introduction to Australia is under consideration.
The Lexus RX400h luxury hybrid SUV powerplant was voted number three in the Best New Engine category, among a top five list including high performance engines from Porsche and Ferrari.
The powerful luxury hybrid engine also claimed second in the Best Fuel Category. It was the only SUV engine to rank in the top five of either category.
Achieving 0-100km/h in around 7.6 seconds, the 200kW Lexus RX400h has a combined fuel economy of 8.1 litres/100km thanks to its hybrid technology combining a petrol engine with electric motors.
This breakthrough power / fuel economy ratio in an SUV beats most V8 and many V6-equipped luxury SUVs currently available in the US by over 100 per cent.
Its 3.3 litre V6 outputs 288Nm of torque while its electric motors output 333Nm, for effortless acceleration.
The Lexus RX400h's rate of acceleration also beats many of its V8-powered competitors - proving that its hybrid engine means an increase rather than decrease in power.
The new hybrid also maintains Lexus' high standards of drive comfort, quality build and luxury.
"The Lexus hybrid systems are designed for performance as well as high fuel efficiency and low emissions," said Scott Grant, divisional manager, Lexus Australia.
"These early awards for the Lexus hybrid synergy system show you don't have to sacrifice power to be 'green'," he said.
The Lexus RX400h is also rated a Super Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle (SULEV) in the US, one of the most stringent ratings in the industry.
This qualifies US RX400h buyers for a 'clean burning fuel' tax deduction of US$2000 for models bought and driven in 2005, and US$500 for RX400hs bought and driven in 2006.
The RX400h is the first luxury vehicle to feature hybrid technology.
It incorporates a new, advanced Hybrid Synergy Drive system that combines the 3.3-litre V6 engine with a high-torque electric drive motor-generator, plus a rear electric drive motor-generator to provide on-road all-wheel drive capability.
The Lexus RX400h is defined as a "full hybrid", which means that it is capable of operating in electric-only or petrol engine-only mode as well as a mode that combines the power of the petrol engine and electric motor.
In contrast, some hybrid technologies are not capable of running only on electrical power, but instead require constant petrol engine operation.
The RX400h is strong on safety technology and features the award-winning Lexus rear-view camera, which on its sibling RX330 was rated as offering the best rear visibility in a four wheel drive in the recent NRMA Insurance Rear Visibility Index.
All power, torque and fuel economy figures are based on the overseas model.
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