Lexus GS450h hybrid sedan comes to China

Shanghai, January 22 (Gasgoo.com) Toyota's premium brand Lexus added the Lexus GS450h hybrid sports sedan to its luxury portfolio in the Chinese market on Jan. 20, said sina.com yesterday. As the third Lexus hybrid sedan brought to China after the RX400h and LS600hL, the GS450h hybrid is priced at a hefty 898,000 yuan ($131,500).

The premium hybrid GS450h is equipped with a variety of luxury sports configurations such as the multipurpose steering wheel, and high-performance MT/AT transmission. The GS450h is powered by a 3.5L V6 engine which produces 339 hp (253 kW), allowing the model to accelerate to 100 km/h in 5.2 seconds. The powertrain, close to the 4.5L V8 engine in performance, thus won the name "450h" for the model.

As with all Lexus models, the GS450H comes complete with a whole host of electrical gadgets that are supposed to make the car a safer place, where the Chinese elite can rest easy knowing that the car is going to take care of its occupants. However, the luxury hybrid has a staggering price in China, more than doubling the U.S. price of around $56,000.

Lexus achieved global sales of 435,000 units last year, a sharp decline from 2007. But Lexus sales in China bucked the trend with a 30% rise, helping the country pass Japan to be the second-biggest market for the Lexus brand for the first time, after the United States.

Toyota Motor expects sales of its luxury cars to grow 3-5% in China this year, and was upgrading its brand image and distribution network in the Chinese market. There will be 70 Lexus dealerships in China by the end of this year, a big increase from the current 45.

Different from German luxury brands including BMW, Benz and Audi, which are speeding up localization in China, Toyota has no plan to mass produce its Lexus cars in the country so far.