Ok I don't know where the OP got his info since he didn't leave a link so I'm gonna cross post to ClubLexus. 2010 Lexus Hybrid drawings - Club Lexus Forums Check out the pictures and the text below in the first post.
Yeah eh? Familiar yet definite a step up. Of course it's just an artist rendition (it has the IS grille) but it's nice to know the hatchback is still in mind.
For some reason today I was scratching my head thinking "what if they came out with a Lexus version of the prius... naah, nobody would buy it..." Imagine my surprise! I wonder just how lexus-ish they can make it without the extra weight taking a hit on mpg. I imagine marketing this could be quite difficult, considering the current Lexus drivers vs. Toyota drivers situation. I could much more easily imagine a "Prius XLE limited" than a Lexus Prius. Things I'd love to see are: More comfortable seats with nice person warmers (of course it would have this) with nicer leather than the current Prius More Elegant interior (I'm sure it would have this too) More displays for less screen-switching on MFD Dual-zone climate control w/plasmacluster Power seats Moonroof Mark Levinson Laser CC Soft gas suspension so you can inflate your tires like concrete wheels without the nasty ride and noise Seatback DVD players Lexus Facescanning etc for people who's eyes are glued to the MFD Basically anything to make the car look even more like mission control ;-)
The funny thing is that the TCH covers most of that with better-than-Yaris mileage. It's just missing the face recognition, air suspension and Laser CC (radar is better). Replace ML with JBL and the RSES is a dealer-installed option and comes with 2 screens integrated into the front headrests and comes with 2 wireless headphones.
That lot would easily add another 1000lb+ to the curb weight of the Prius, so their goes the entire rationale for the car, which is getting from A to B using the least amount of energy (gas or electric). One cheapo item I would appreciate however is a driver side hatchback release. You're probably looking at the 1.8l 2ZR-FE Toyota engine for this combo too, if you want to preserve reasonable acceleration characteristics. rah
A Lexus version of the Prius makes absolute sense ... especially when looking at the demographics of many Prius buyers. I may just wait for one ... unsure though ... might not be able to wait that long!
