Most hybrid buyers are sanctimonious?

Does the Lexus 600h L make sense?
According to the Asphalt Jungle, the Lexus 600h L proves that most buyers of hybrid vehicles are sanctimonious.

"I'm all for exploring automotive technologies that improve emissions and, more important in the short term, reduce our nation's dependence on foreign oil. And there's every reason to believe that Lexus engineers (and those at other automakers) are pursuing hybrids, fuel cells, and more with a noble admixture of capitalistic zeal and planetary concern. But the appeal of the LS 600hL (and, I fear, most other current hybrids) is simple sanctimoniousness."

Sure, I know many sanctimonious hybrid drivers. Still, what should we call the perpetual hybrid critics, visionaries?

LS 600h L hybrid - a "new standard in automotive hyperbole"

Luxury hybrids gone really, really bad?

There are a number of reasons that the Toyota Prius is the best selling hybrid vehicle, but one of the main ones is incredible fuel economy. Ultimately, great fuel economy is one of the biggest drivers of the consumers of hybrid cars, and Toyota has nailed this target audience with both the Prius and the Camry hybrid.

Toyota's Lexus division, however, hasn't been so focused on fuel economy. For example, a V8 with V12 power, such as the Lexus LS 600h L?

"Behind its green Teflon shield," Lawrence Ulrich writes in the NYTimes regarding his recent test drive, "the Lexus proved to be just another overstuffed sedan that can barely top 20 miles a gallon — less, if you actually tap into all that power. If that’s saving the planet, Jor-El had better prepare the escape pod before it’s too late."

"I can’t believe that adding a cupful of electric juice to a fat barrel of V-8 muscle is what environmentalists have in mind."

Finish reading Conspicuous Consumption With Green Illusions at the NYTimes.

Lexus LS600h series launches in Japan

LS600h and LS600hL launch in Japan today

Toyota is now selling the Lexus LS600h and the Lexus LS600h L in Japan, and the hybrid will soon find its way into other countries soon. Beginning at $80,300* for the LS600h and $84,850 for the longer wheel-based LS600h L, the LS600 series will be the most expensive Toyota vehicle sold outside of Japan.

"This car takes the concept of luxury beyond the conventional parameters and into the 21st century," President Katsuaki Watanabe said at the car's launch in Tokyo.

Reuters notes, "Pulling out all the stops on the car it calls the "Flagship of Lexus", Toyota packed the LS600h/LS600hL with several new components and systems including a 5-litre V8 engine, full-time all-wheel-drive and a high-output electric motor. The result, Toyota says, is a car with the power and acceleration of a 6-litre engine but half its carbon dioxide emissions."

* Other reports claim the LS600h will start at $124,000, possibly due to import tariffs, taxes, etc. into the U.S., where as the numbers above are Japanese prices.

Lexus LS 600 hybrid doesn't impress Edmunds

"interesting technological exercise"

The Straightline folks from Edmunds.com recently tested out the to-be-released in June, Lexus LS 600h L hybrid vehicle.

For the wealthy only....(more)

A $100,000 Lexus hybrid

You need a lotta mad money for this new hybrid

Toyota has announced the pricing on its newest hybrid, the Lexus LS 600h L. This $104,000 V8 will deliver the power of a 12 cylinder vehicle while emitting "nearly 70 percent fewer emissions than the "cleanest" of its competitors."

I'm picking up mine tomorrow, assuming all goes well with my lottery picks!

Altima hybrid and Lexus LS600h L worth waiting for?

CNNMoney worked with Kelly Blue Book and Edmunds.com to pick 10 new or redesigned vehicles the are worth a look before buying something else, and two of those 10 vehicles are hybrid cars.

On the luxury end, the Lexus LS600h L, the newest hybrid from Toyota's Lexus line, made the list. Now, not too many Americans can afford to buy this Lexus, with a price tag of around $100,000, but if you are a high end car buyer and you would like go green - at least a little green - you can.

For the rest of us, the Nissan Altima hybrid also made the list. Starting at just a little over $24,000, this is a car that far more Americans can afford. Unfortunately, the Altima hybrid will only be available in 8 states for the time being.

So, if you are in the market for a new vehicle, make sure to check out one of these hybrids.

Ouch! The Lexus LS hybrid is hot!

I'm not a huge fan of luxury hybrids. Still, I feel I must not only cover them, but promote them. Inevitably, luxury hybrids do still invest in hybrid technology.

At the LA Auto Show I wasn't able to get close the LS, however, at NAIAS I was able to fully experience the Lexus LS 600h L hybrid. Now I want one. Fortunately, I can't afford one, so I don't have to feel too tempted to violate my ethics.

This new hybrid from Lexus is simply smoking hot. If you have to have a luxury vehicle, but you feel you must try to help the environment a little, you can't go wrong with this new Lexus hybrid.

3 Hybrids make Forbes hottest cars for 2007

Forbes magazine picked three hybrid cars as part of their Hottest Cars for 2007. Granted two of their picks are luxury hybrids, but they are still hybrids and fuel economy did affect Forbes' decision. The Lexus GS 450h "can do zero to 60 mph in only 5.2 seconds — better than many sports cars — yet it has EPA fuel-economy ratings of 28 mpg city/27 mpg highway. This sexy-looking Lexus is both fast and efficient." The other luxury hybrid was the Lexus LS 600h L "Rather than developing a 12-cylinder version of its top luxury sedan to compete with Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz, Lexus opted for a gas/electric hybrid powertrain and invented the world's first full-hybrid V8." Rounding out Forbes hybrid picks was the Toyota Camry hybrid, which Forbes said, "All together the system makes 192 hp and up to 203 pound-feet of torque and runs through a continuously variable transmission to provide performance that beats a standard four-cylinder Camry."