Lexus HS

The Lexus HS (Japanese: レクサス・HS, Rekusasu HS) is a dedicated hybrid vehicle introduced by Lexus as a compact executive car sedan in 2009. Using the Toyota New MC platform, it is classified as a compact under Japanese regulations concerning vehicle exterior dimensions and engine displacement. Presented at the North American International Auto Show in January 2009, the HS 250h went on sale in July 2009 in Japan, followed by the United States in August 2009 as a 2010 model. The HS 250h represented the first dedicated hybrid vehicle in the Lexus lineup, as well as the first offered with an inline-four gasoline engine. Bioplastic materials are used for the vehicle interior. With a total length of 4,700 mm (190 in), the Lexus HS is slightly larger than the Lexus IS, but smaller than the mid-size Lexus ES. Like the smaller Lexus CT, the larger Lexus ES and the Lexus RX FWD (which has also shared the same production line), the HS features front-wheel drive, and as such has been offered as IS's front-wheel drive counterpart. In the U.S., sales for the HS 250h lagged other models, and dropped by nearly three-quarters in 2011, despite its success in Japan. Between late May and early June 2012, Lexus removed the HS 250h from its U.S. sales lineup, while a larger front-wheel drive hybrid sedan, the ES 300h, went on sale for the latter half of 2012. According to Lexus, the HS designation stands for Harmonious Sedan.