Demand for the Lexus 400h is likely to exceed supply, Andrew Hamilton reports
When the asking money for a luxury SUV could be over €84,000, getting a reduction of €11,662 must significantly enhance its appeal. That's what has happened with the Lexus RX 400h, dubbed by its maker as the world's first performance hybrid.
The 400h should have had a price tag of €84,510, but that rare example of government benevolence, the 50 per cent reduction in VRT for hybrid vehicles, translated into €11,662 reduction.
That means this first Lexus hybrid now going on Irish sale will retail at €72,848. That price brings a 3.3 litre petrol V6 engine mated with two electric motors, producing power of around 270bhp via a continuously variable automatic transmission and four-wheel-drive. Top speed is claimed to be 200km/h (124mph) while getting from 0 to 100km/h (62mph) is said to be a 7.6 second sprint.
The hybrid technology sets the 400h apart and, aside from the reputation for performance, it naturally boasts clean and green credentials, useful at a time when SUVs are in the firing line from environmentalists. Official consumption in the combined cycle is quoted as 8.1 litres for 100kms with CO2 emissions of 192gr/km.
Lexus says the fuel consumption equates with that of an average family car while the emissions are the lowest for a premium segment SUV.
The Lexus standard-bearer until now in this segment was the conventional petrol-engined RX 300 with a V6 3.0 litre unit. With a price of €68,150, the differential between it and the technologically superior 400h, is a mere €4,698. If it came down to a choice, there's little doubt about what vehicle would pull in most customer cheques. Nearly 200 of the 300 were sold last year.
But at the Irish launch of 400h last week, Lexus managing director Mark Teevan said demand was going to far exceed supply. "We have an allocation of 50 vehicles for the rest of this year and they are all sold.
"We just don't know about next year - we haven't been given an allocation. We naturally hope it will be in treble figures."
In the fullness of time, there will be hybrid options throughout the Lexus family as well as in the Toyota range, complementing the much acclaimed Prius. Next year a hybrid version of the new generation Lexus GS will be on sale and the forthcoming new IS will get a similar addition.
Toyota and Lexus have firmly nailed their hybrid colours to the mast ahead of European and American competitors who initially doubted the efficiency of the technology. According to 400h chief engineer Osamu Sadakata, "there's no infrastructure in place for the mass production of hydrogen - and it's impossible to put a time scale on the shift to other power sources."
The specification includes VDIM (Vehicle Dynamic Integrated Management) but more simply an advanced stability control system. There's also ECB (Electronically Controlled Brakes) - this improves braking performance and brake energy regeneration.
On the safety front, the 400h comes with seven airbags including a driver knee airbag.
Life-on-board luxuries include a seven-inch touch screen navigation system with a parking assist monitor and Bluetooth mobile phone connectivity. There is also voice command for the phone and audio.
The 400h joins the Prius as the second hybrid vehicle on the Irish market. But this new arrival is 2.4 times more powerful than the Prius which happens to be near enough the price differential as well.