Mercury News reports: 4/7Matt Nauman writes a great article on the new Lexus GS450h here's an excerpt. Perhaps it was the grandeur of the view from atop cracked and flooded-in-spots Sierra Road, but I had a moment of clarity while driving the Lexus GS 450h last week. With the Santa Clara Valley below me, and dark clouds sitting heavy on the distant Santa Cruz Mountains, I paused after a few moments of exhilarating uphill driving and realized that the hybrid game is over. Sure, Honda has a neat gas-electric Civic available, and sells two others. Yes, Ford has two small hybrid SUVs that have attracted a few buyers. And the hybridcars.com Web site says we'll have hybrid choices from Chevrolet, Nissan, Hyundai, Dodge, Porsche, Saturn, Mazda and Cadillac in the next two to three years. But Toyota and its upscale Lexus division have won the day. The words ``hybrid'' and ``Prius'' have become synonymous. The automaker offers two other hybrids right now --
the Toyota Highlander and Lexus RX 400h sport-utilities. Combined, they represented 71 percent of U.S. hybrid sales in 2005. Two more hybrids from Toyota arrive in a matter of weeks -- a hybrid version of the bestselling Camry sedan and the GS 450h, a sport sedan and the subject of this week's test drive. Expect more to follow in rapid succession. While others dither about the merits of hybrids, or how large the market might become, or their long-term viability, Toyota has systematically gained dominance. The 2007 Camry Hybrid marks the closest that hybrid technology has come to the center of the auto market. The Honda Accord aimed for it, too, but missed the mark. With its V-6 powertrain and high price, the Accord hybrid resides in a place where near-luxury models sell. Indeed, at $31,540, it's nearly as expensive as a TL, and more expensive than a TSX, both from Acura, Honda's upscale brand. Mainstream Camry The Camry, which blends a 2.4-liter gasoline engine with electric motors and a battery pack, will arrive with a $25,900 price tag when it goes on sale in May. It promises window-sticker fuel economy of 40 mpg in the city and 38 mpg on the highway...
This article does a great job of explaining the mentality behind the performance hybrid, which up until now had been extremely hard to justify. They are expensive and get poor gas mileage in comparison to economical hybrids but they do have way cleaner emissions than conventionally powered vehicles.
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