There's something about lugging a tank of urea (to make these diesels less polluting) that has to be changed that seems so…. quaint compared to hybrid technology, but to each his own...
For the exact-same reason Honda made the "Accord V6 Hybrid" that only got 32 mpg........ they were both stupid. Good news: You can now buy the LS hybrid for cheap: Only $25,000. (If you want an "almost new" aka very low miles version, then they are $60,000...... half price!) What a bargain.
That they are - the 2008's have most of the stuff the newer ones have, and in some cases even more - they dropped the motorized antisway bar after a few years. Seriously - they are a bargain - I got 27 mpg on a long freeway trip. And its funny - a lot of the tech that was cutting edge on the LS600h showed up on my Prius Plug In Advanced 5 years later. If you've got 30K for a used car that used to cost $128K, I highly recommend it - it's a quality car and will last as long as a Prius.
They're probably more in demand in Canada with their AWD. An article you linked to a long time ago indicated they were only importing 120/year to Canada too.
There are five on cars.com that are under $20K (all 2008 models). One of which has less than 64K miles. That is some crazy depreciation. There are 32 currently for sale, half of which are under $30K. Conversely, there are about two hundred BMW 750iL (2008-2011) listed on cars.com for less than $20K. I still don't understand the LS 600h L.
Like most luxuries, cars in that price range aren't meant to be understood or make economic sense, just enjoyed My favorite review, perhaps it will help you understand it better ;-): Lexus LS600h L, Part 1
I would've thought the opposite because it was quite a jump in price considering there's only the long-wheelbase version of the hybrid sold here Most of the LS460s here are the SWB version.
I miss read your post. haha I don't think I've ever seen a short hybrid here in the US. They're all 600hL
No, they're all LWBs. I'm trying to think how many luxury cars are in LWB version. Probably just the S550 only because they no longer sell the SWB in North America.
Resurrecting this after nearly a year to add my 2 cents: One of our 6 vehicles is a 1996 LS400. Been in our family since new, passed on to it's 3rd driver now (one of my sons) At 21 years old, It is still the finest made, best riding, quietest, most comfortable cars I have ever owned.
