Lexus HS 250h: Let The Strip Tease Begin! [Detroit Auto Show]

Rumors come and go, but as we told you back in August, this one has merit. Lexus is slowly letting the cat out of the bag about the HS 250h, its new dedicated-hybrid model.

We told you back in August that Lexus was developing its own dedicated hybrid model to sell alongside Al Gore’s favorite ride, the Toyota Prius. Months ago this was only rumor but now the Japanese giant has made the news official, by launching a new section on its consumer site this week. The site offers little detail about the new hybrid other than it will be called Lexus HS 250h and it’ll go on sale in the Fall of 2009.

If you can’t wait to get your hands on a luxury dedicated hybrid until then, don’t fret. Lexus will debut the HS 250h at the Detroit Auto Show on January 11th. While little detail is actually known about the earth-saving Lexus, we’re willing to bet our mother’s soul that it’ll be built upon the same platform and feature the same next-generation Hybrid Synergy Drive as the next-gen Prius – also set to debut in Detroit. Toyota will soldier on with the nickel-metal hydride battery packs until the lithium-ion battery packs are validated, but will change the packs as a mid-cycle refresh rather than wait for an all-new vehicle.

We’re curious how the Lexus HS 250h will hold up against the much rumored Cadillac EFLEX that’s also making its debut in Detroit next month. Until then, we have an image of what the Lexus HS 250h could look like below.