At least half of all Lexus vehicles sold in Australia will be hybrids within five years, according to the local boss of the Japanese luxury brand.
Lexus Australia CEO Sean Hanley says increased consumer acceptance of the technology and the car makerâs aggressive hybrid strategy will see every second vehicle it sells in our market powered by a petrol-electric powertrain by 2018 â" up from 35 per cent this year.
âHybrid will be 50 per cent of our sales ⦠within five years,â Hanley says, âand the reason I say that is because our strategy in terms of our pricing philosophy for the market is clear: hybrid premiums have dropped.â
The Lexus ES large car that launches locally next month will be unique in Lexus Australiaâs line-up and unique for the ES line globally in that the $63,000 ES300h hybrid will be ($2000) cheaper than the conventional petrol-powered ES350. Lexus forecasts a 60:40 sales split in favour of the hybrid model.
Hanley says the entry-level hybrid positioning is a âtoe in the waterâ exercise, but says if it proves successful it could be introduced to some of its other vehicle lines.
âWe think based on IS sales and based on our traditional hybrid sales this is a very good strategy, because we think acceptance of hybrid is gaining momentum every other month and the more cars we launch the better that outcome is,â he said.
âWeâre certainly looking at [offering more entry-level hybrids]. We have GS300h coming [later this year]. I donât know yet what the price position of that car will be â" whether it will be a price leader or not we havenât confirmed that â" but we are eagerly watching how ES hybrid performs as an entry-model car, which will largely determine our future direction.â
The ES300h and GS300h will become Lexusâ sixth and seventh hybrid models in Australia â" a fact Hanley says makes the brand the clear hybrid leader in the country.
âNo one touches us in that regard.â
Lexus Australiaâs 35 per cent hybrid sales rate is approximately 10 per cent higher than the brandâs global petrol-electric sales. In some markets in Europe, hybrid take-up is closer to 90 per cent.
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