(Mon 12 Jan 09)

The newest model on the Lexus stand at Detroit is the HS 250h, described by its maker as "the world's first dedicated luxury hybrid vehicle".

As that claim suggests, the HS was designed from the start to be a hybrid. It uses a 2.4-litre engine (with just four cylinders - the first petrol engine of this type fitted to a Lexus) in conjunction with an electric motor. The combined output of the two units is 187bhp, and the engine drives the front wheels through a continuously variable transmission (CVT).

Space for rear passengers was a design priority, and much of the interior is covered with plant-based, carbon-neutral plastics, which emit less CO2 than the more regular petroleum-based stuff.

We could go on about the HS, but although it's due to go on sale in the late summer of this year there are currently no plans for it to be sold in Europe, so we'll leave it there for now.

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