Lexus IS 300h, a hybrid for Europe first

 Gasoline or diesel hybrid, Lexus has chosen. There will be no more IS 220d, and the IS 300h will take its place. But the question is really only for Europeans, since the former has never been sold in the U.S., and the latter won't either. Which is a surprise, but Lexus wants to give the IS a sporty image in the United States. A hybrid version would confuse it. 

The IS 300h was only shown at the Detroit show for European and Japanese journalists. Americans are not used to this. But they will make up for it with the IS 350 and its 300+ hp V6, which will not come to Europe. European customers will be able to choose between the basic IS 250 (2.5-liter naturally aspirated V6) or the promising IS 300h.

At 4.67 m long and 1.81 m wide, this new Lexus responds perfectly to the manufacturer's desire to make cars more... Between extreme sobriety and excess, we can wonder if the designers did not go from one edge to the other. This Lexus has a grille that shows well, and makes you want to see what's behind. It's an almost unprecedented hybrid powertrain. Almost, because if the base is the Camry hybrid (200 hp, which is not sold in Europe), this Lexus IS 300h would have 10% more power, and that's good to take.

Lexus puts a lot of emphasis on the driving pleasure of the new IS, and explains that it has paid special attention to the suspension. The handling is rear-wheel drive, and this IS should be a car you can have fun with. The best part is that it will be environmentally friendly, as the official average consumption is less than 4.3 l/100 km, with CO2 emissions of less than 100 g/km. That's not something you're used to seeing in a luxuriously equipped 200+ hp car. The new Lexus IS will arrive in Europe later this summer.