Lexus previewed this car at the Frankfurt Motor Showas the Lexus LF-Ch – you can read more about it here: Lexus looks to launch small premium car.
However, it’s not just Lexus that will have the hybrid to itself. Mark said the Toyota Prius hybrid – now in its third generation- had been massively popular.
“The latest Prius has given us real momentum,” said Mark. “The previous models were rational-only cars. But the latest Prius also has emotional pull, too,” explained Mark.
Apparently if you want one for Christmas you’re out of luck, because there are no more in stock. “We believe hybrid is the right powertrain because it’s right for tomorrow,” continued Mark. “It’s a relatively straightforward step to go from hybrid to plug-in hybrid and then onto a full electric vehicle.”
But next year there will also be the Auris hybrid – likely to be available as a high-spec single model.
The Auris is Toyota’s version of the Ford Focus: a hatchback. It’s built here in the UK, too. “We see the Auris hybrid as a way of attracting customers to the Toyota brand,” reckons Mark.
Hmmm. That’ll be a tough one I suspect. While cars like the brilliant iQ and the environmentally cool Prius really capture the imagination, some of Toyota’s other products are just, well, a bit ordinary. They may be good to drive; have excellent economy; but where’s the appeal factor? Which is sort of where we came in: efficient but soulless.
So let’s have more of the iQ, please Toyota, more of the Mk3 Prius which, as Mark says, has emotional pull as well as a business rationale to buy – and less of the efficient but dull.
