Hybrids Are Here To Stay

The future is here so embrace it. It'll make you a better human being, trust me... Hybrid cars, once only driven by celebrities trying to play the eco-warrior card - yes Leonardo Di Caprio, I'm talking about you! - are becoming increasingly popular, with one particular manufacturer hedging its bets in order to lead the market.

Toyota were one of the forerunners in the design and development of the hybrid vehicle with their very successful Prius model which they released in 2001. The Prius has sold more than 1.2 million units worldwide and counting, and the Prius remains the popular hybrid choice.

Toyota are of course behind the luxurious vehicle brand Lexus, who themselves have a hybrid vehicle of some repute that is set to be on the forecourt of Lexus dealerships, the RX350h and RX450h.

With the global economy still in ruins car manufacturers are desperate to gain custom, with competition fiercer than ever before and with people becoming increasingly more conscious of their carbon footprint - eco-friendly cars are becoming a vital component of car manufacturers plans.

In the UK road tax is now banded depending on the CO2 emissions given out by your car, and with the recent fluctuation of fuel prices, even though these have reduced in recent months, economical, eco friendly cars are ever more desirable.

The first production hybrid vehicle was the Honda Insight, released in 1999 with the mission of being the lowest emission, highest mileage vehicle around. It succeeded. With bells on! But the larger, more comfortable and more practical Toyota Prius and the Honda Civic Hybrid became much more popular than the Insight selling well, particularly in the US.

As fuel prices began to soar along with pollution levels sales of hybrid vehicles have increased. The release of the new Lexus RX350h and RX450h, along with the revamped Prius look to see Toyota in good stead. Lexus dealerships in particular are hoping that sales figures will pick up along with the global economy in the coming months, with their hybrid vehicles the, ahem, vehicle with which to drive sales (apologies for the puns).

As SUVs go, in the UK the roads are polluted with the big polluters - the Range Rovers, Porsche Cayenne's, BMW X5's and the likes. Big, luxurious, comfortable, King of the Road feeling vehicles but serial polluters all the same. And hit hardest by taxes, including the London congestion charge.
Lexus are aiming for a niche in the market with the RX350h and RX450h as they aim to persuade those SUV enthusiast to trade in their gas guzzlers for the new kid on the block - an eco-friendly SUV that does not sacrifice anything in terms of build quality, drive quality and luxury.

The Lexus RX350h and RX450h are sure to be another successful vehicle in the Lexus range as consumers look towards their conscience in terms of their carbon footprint but also their wallets in terms of economic fuel consumption and the fact that it's a Lexus - one of the most reliable car manufacturers in the world.

Its sure to improve the image of the Chelsea Tractor also as drivers love to hate those behind the wheel of SUV's almost as much as BMW drivers who feel it's a pre requisite to cut every other car on the road up at any given time.

Seed Newsvine

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