Like most industries, the automobile industry is seeing a paradigm shift in both its values and its focus in the ‘now normal.’ Consumers are demanding more accountability from businesses about the long-term impacts they place on society and the environment, pushing companies to shift their priorities from revenues to sustainability and impact.
In a survey of around 7,000 respondents worldwide conducted by McKinsey and Company, in cooperation with the World Economic Forum, many respondents stated that they were now more interested in battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) and partial-hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV). More than 55% of survey respondents from North America, which has lagged in EV sales compared to Asia and Europe, expressed increased interest in these vehicles. More importantly, when asked about the factors contributing to their interests, respondents across regions were most likely to cite increased sustainability concerns and air-quality improvements.
Lexus, as one of the leading luxury car manufacturers worldwide, has been championing the shift towards hybrid vehicles with new cutting-edge innovations for over a decade. In 2004, Lexus launched the world’s first self-charging luxury hybrid. Today, the brand sells 10 hybrid models and is currently the luxury brand with the widest hybrid lineup. This includes its range of self-charging hybrids, with five different models ranging from compact to SUV, sedans, and coupés in the Philippines. What’s more, Lexus has announced that it has sold almost two million hybrid vehicles globally since the launch of the luxury hybrid RX 400h model.
The Philippine market saw its first Lexus hybrid in the form of the CT 200h in 2011. Today, the LS, IS, RX, and NX hybrid variants are available locally. The LS 500h flagship model is equipped with the new Lexus Multi Stage Hybrid System, a technology that transforms the performance and driver appeal of hybrids, providing improved responsiveness and more rewarding, linear acceleration, particularly when moving off from stationary.
“The new IS 300 Hybrid Premier & the IS 300 Hybrid sport sedans were born and bred at the Shimoyama Technical Center — where the toughest and most challenging roads in the world have been recreated. The outcome was an IS lineup that is agile and provocative. The IS 300h — while boasting hybrid technology — thoroughly espouses Lexus’s DNA,” Lexus said in a statement.
“The RX 450h, the pioneer in Luxury SUVs, makes a bold and completely new statement in this segment while building on and staying true to the pioneering values of previous hybrid RX generations.”
The NX 300h also features the Lexus Multi Stage Hybrid System, which was developed to create a hybrid with a more sporting and engaging driving experience by closely aligning engine speed with throttle inputs, as well as to achieve the best possible balance of power and fuel consumption.
The new Multi Stage Hybrid System marries the elements of a traditional full hybrid powertrain — usually a powerful petrol engine, a powerful electric motor, and a lithium-ion battery pack — to an automatic gearbox mounted at the rear of the hybrid transmission. The electric motor generates better acceleration feel than a conventional engine, and adding physical gears more closely aligns engine speed with the driver’s inputs. The result is a much more direct connection between the accelerator pedal and vehicle acceleration, resulting in blistering zero-to-100kph times.
The Lexus Multi Stage Hybrid System also features ‘M’ Mode, which gives drivers the ability to initiate direct and responsive gear shifts for the most sporting and engaging drive yet from a Lexus hybrid. A new lightweight and compact electric motor and a lithium-ion battery offset the weight of the added automatic transmission, and so the Multi Stage Hybrid System weighs the same as the current hybrid powertrain — an amazing feat of engineering.
Lexus has positioned Hybrid Drive as its key technology in addressing environmental issues in the 21st century, and it intends to enhance its hybrid lineup while encouraging the widespread use of hybrids. Lexus’s core vehicle technology will help reduce CO2 emissions while providing a pleasurable driving experience. Ambitious goals have been set by Lexus for 2050, and even more Lexus models will be available with hybrid technology before then — helping pave the way for a greener future.
To learn more about this promotion visit the Lexus website at https://fal.cn/LexusHybridDrive or visit our social media pages on Facebook and Instagram @lexusmanila.
To arrange a consultation with your personal sales consultant, visit the Lexus Remote page at https://www.lexus.com.ph/en/lexus-remote.html.
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