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Lexus LF-Ch Concept
Vehicle is expected to hit production next year

Lexus has unveiled its latest premium compact car concept called the Lexus LF-Ch hybrid. The car is an attempt by Lexus to enter into the hotly contested premium compact category in Europe that is currently filled with BMW 1-Series and Audi A3.

Lexus is mum on the details of the concepts powertrain, but does say that once the vehicle goes into production next year it is likely to use the same powertrain as the HS 250h. The HS 250h powertrain is good for 34 mpg combined and consists of a 2.4 liter 147hp four-cylinder engine combined with a 245V battery pack and electric motor to bring the total power to 187hp. The power train will be mated to a six-speed automatic transmission that can be shifted via paddles on the steering wheel.

The concept is the first Lexus full hybrid in the European premium compact segment. Also featured in the concept are the Remote Touch controls that were first seen on the RX 450h and a multi-information display on the top of the dashboard. The Remote Touch control is sort of like a mouse on a computer that allows the driver access and customize the information they are presented with and enter set up programs for the vehicle.

The interior of the vehicle is covered in aluminum and wood trim with ambient lights in the header and iPhone docs for the passengers in the rear seats. The exterior of the car is highly stylized with blacked out B-pillars and door handles integrated into the pillars to give the four door a coupe look.

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That looks way too wonky to be a Lexus
By Motoman on 9/10/2009 12:28:39 PM , Rating: 5
...uppity people who attach their personality to expensive cars buy Lexi. I don't see any Lexus buyer being interested in a car that looks like it should have been wearing a Mazda or Scion badge.




RE: That looks way too wonky to be a Lexus
By axeman1957 on 9/10/2009 12:36:45 PM , Rating: 3
IMO concept cars always look pretty sweet, but if and when they make it to production they look like crap. For example, the Volt concept car looked sweet, not like all the other egg shaped hybrids, more like a real car, but now compare that to the production model and it looks like a slightly modified prius.


RE: That looks way too wonky to be a Lexus
By piroroadkill on 9/10/2009 3:53:31 PM , Rating: 1
I think the production volt looks better than the concept to be honest


RE: That looks way too wonky to be a Lexus
By axeman1957 on 9/10/2009 4:55:47 PM , Rating: 2
My point was concepts rarely end up looking anything like the production models.
If you want to drive an egg that is your deal, but if you tell me you also like the design of The Cube, I may have to seriously question your taste.


RE: That looks way too wonky to be a Lexus
By Mojo the Monkey on 9/10/2009 5:19:09 PM , Rating: 5
Wow... a drawing of a concept...

Look everyone. I am now going to unveil my plans for a fusion powered hyper-intelligent robot that assists the elderly with day-to-day care, which also costs less than $100.

Behold:

o|-<


RE: That looks way too wonky to be a Lexus
By mattclary on 9/11/2009 8:28:21 AM , Rating: 2
freaking exactly.

"Look at this cool (not-really-photo-real) 3D rendering of a car that we all know won't remotely look like this when we build it.


By mattclary on 9/11/2009 8:29:18 AM , Rating: 2
Oh, and I forgot...

"!!!STOP THE PRESSES!!!"


By bhieb on 9/10/2009 1:19:38 PM , Rating: 2
And what do you think uppity parents want their uppity kids to drive? This just screams douche bag rich kid. All of these Lexus driving folks are starting to have kids that want cars, smart move to appeal to them for a premium.


RE: That looks way too wonky to be a Lexus
By ksherman on 9/10/2009 1:29:26 PM , Rating: 2
Wow, your right. Looks a ton like the new Mazda3's, though without the HUGE grin in the front grill.


By Brandon Hill (blog) on 9/10/2009 1:30:55 PM , Rating: 3
It reminds me more of the first generation Mazda3. The new models are downright hideous with that big ol grin.


RE: That looks way too wonky to be a Lexus
By FITCamaro on 9/10/2009 1:35:56 PM , Rating: 2
Yup. Is a Mazda 3 wagon with a new version of an IS350 front end.


RE: That looks way too wonky to be a Lexus
By FITCamaro on 9/10/2009 1:38:03 PM , Rating: 3
Except its slower and gets worse gas mileage than a TDI Jetta.

But its a Lexus! Shiny!


RE: That looks way too wonky to be a Lexus
By Spuke on 9/10/2009 2:14:50 PM , Rating: 2
I didn't know this was going to be a hybrid. I read it was supposed to be a 1 series fighter. There aren't any hybrid 1 series so what is this car competing with? Also, the fact that it will use the HS250's drivetrain is extremely disappointing. I was hoping for a real competitor not just a cost competitor. Well, Infiniti is supposed to have a 1 series competitor too. Hopefully, they'll get it right.


By theapparition on 9/10/2009 4:57:52 PM , Rating: 2
When I first saw this, that's exactly what I thought, a 1 series competitor.

Both are incredibly ugly and have lines that don't flow well, but at least the 135 can move out of it's own way. What's the point of copying a Mazda3?


By zinfamous on 9/10/2009 1:55:40 PM , Rating: 2
I like the Mazda3 hatchback, without the grin; so I'm a big fan of this. :)


RE: That looks way too wonky to be a Lexus
By rippleyaliens on 9/10/09, Rating: -1
RE: That looks way too wonky to be a Lexus
By invidious on 9/10/2009 2:49:01 PM , Rating: 2
Your response was actually pretty uppity.

If you don't want people judging you based on your Lexus then take all of the Lexus ornaments off your car and replace them with Honda ornaments. But you do what people judging you based on your Lexus, which is why you bought it, so be quiet.


By Spuke on 9/10/2009 4:00:17 PM , Rating: 2
quote:
But you do what people judging you based on your Lexus, which is why you bought it, so be quiet.
Although, there are some buyers where this would be true, there are actually people that buy a Lexus because they like it. With nearly everyone justifying what they buy, I can see why you would feel that way.


By mmcdonalataocdotgov on 9/11/2009 9:10:54 AM , Rating: 2
First: I wouldn't care what anyone thought of my having Lexus badges on my car. I buy a car for me, not for other people's opinion.

Second: If I put Honda badges on my car, then people would think I thought I knew something about cars, but bought small fugly unreliable cars from nasty uppity dealers (we never discount Hondas because the idiots keep coming in to buy the things with their broken transmissions, etc).

So you see... if I put the H badge on, I would care what other people think of my car, but since I don't, then I'll keep my badges. Not that I'm uppity about it...


By FITCamaro on 9/10/2009 3:11:57 PM , Rating: 2
quote:
A lexus doesnt really cost that much more than a Honda??


Honda Accord LX starts at $21,000
Honda Accord EX-L V6 (highest model) starts at $$29,000

Lexus ES starts at $34,000
Lexus GS starts at $45,000

Yeah not much more....

And last I checked Honda's are some of the most reliable cars on the road. My parents had an 88 Civic with over 300,000 miles on it that ran great until my brother totaled it.

Honda Warranty: Bumper-to-bumper 3 year/36,000 miles, powertrain 5 year/60,000 miles, corrosion 5 years/unlimited miles, accessories 3 year/36,000 miles

Lexus Warranty: bumper-to-bumper 4 years/48,000 miles, powertrain 6 years/70,000 miles, 6 years/unlimited miles

So one extra year warranty.


RE: That looks way too wonky to be a Lexus
By JediJeb on 9/10/2009 4:39:40 PM , Rating: 2
But did you pay $16,000 for that Lexus and is it still running strong after 13 years and 200,000 miles? That is what will sell a vehicle to me :)


By HunkyOne on 9/11/2009 12:16:57 PM , Rating: 2
I paid $17,000 for my Ford Contour SE and I'm still driving it daily after 12 years and 210,000 miles. I'm sold.


RE: That looks way too wonky to be a Lexus
By Chaser on 9/10/2009 3:54:33 PM , Rating: 3
quote:
...uppity people who attach their personality to expensive cars buy Lexi.
Lexus' are fine cars and very popular in the U.S. Their legacy of excellent reliability is undeniable.

I don't think I'm "uppity". I don't care for stereotyping except when someone makes an ignorant baseless claim based on the car they choose to buy.


RE: That looks way too wonky to be a Lexus
By Spuke on 9/10/09, Rating: 0
By adiposity on 9/10/2009 5:56:55 PM , Rating: 3
quote:
I don't want others thinking that being an a$$hole, trendy, wannabe environmentalist is the norm. Some of us still think for ourselves .


lol

-Dan


By Anonymous Freak on 9/10/2009 9:20:16 PM , Rating: 2
In Europe, Toyota doesn't use the Scion brand. And in Europe, compact cars are made by all the luxury brands. BMW and Mercedes both have Scion-like cars in Europe.

In all likelihood, if this car hops the pond, it'll be a Scion.


Automatic or manual?
By BlackIceHorizon on 9/10/2009 2:34:08 PM , Rating: 2
"The power train will be mated to a six-speed automatic transmission that can be shifted via paddles on the steering wheel."

1. Automatic.
2. Shifted via paddles.

Am I missing something?




RE: Automatic or manual?
By Brandon Hill (blog) on 9/10/2009 2:47:51 PM , Rating: 2
I believe you are :-) You've never seen paddle shifter for automatic transmission vehicles? The Corvette automatic has them as do a number of vehicles with "slushbox" transmissions. I also believe that the Lexus IS-F has them as well.


RE: Automatic or manual?
By FITCamaro on 9/10/2009 3:13:05 PM , Rating: 2
Yeah its pretty standard these days on higher end/performance cars. My buddies 06 IS350 has paddle shifters.


RE: Automatic or manual?
By Chaser on 9/10/2009 4:12:39 PM , Rating: 2
As a very happy IS-F owner I can confirm that. The 8 speed IS-F transmission, from 2nd gear and above, shifts in 1/10 of a second.


RE: Automatic or manual?
By foolsgambit11 on 9/11/2009 11:32:33 PM , Rating: 2
Even the Smart For2 has paddle shifters on the steering wheel. So it's obviously not just for higher end/performance cars anymore.


RE: Automatic or manual?
By Masospaghetti on 9/11/2009 9:25:16 AM , Rating: 2
This car is 1) hideous, and given it won't have a manual trans and only a hybrid 4-cylinder, it will also be 2) boring to drive. INSTANT WIN!! I'm sorry, but "paddle shifted" automatics are no substitute for a true manual trans with a clutch pedal.


RE: Automatic or manual?
By Chaser on 9/12/2009 3:48:42 AM , Rating: 2
Most high end exotics are going to auto paddle shifters. My IS F, as I stated before, shifts faster -1/10 of a second- than a human being can using a manual clutch.

I'm sorry but other than nostalgia manual shifters with clutches are slowly fading away from a performance standpoint.


Concept cars
By ilostmypen on 9/10/2009 12:32:07 PM , Rating: 3
I hate how the actual production models never look like the concept. What is the point in even creating a concept car? The Volt was going to look awesome then it slowly began to look like trash the closer it got to production.




RE: Concept cars
By Brandon Hill (blog) on 9/10/2009 12:36:24 PM , Rating: 3
The production version of this vehicle should look pretty close to the concept. Add real mirrors and tone down the front/rear bumpers and you have the production version.


RE: Concept cars
By ChickenMcTest on 9/10/2009 12:46:12 PM , Rating: 3
Never underestimate the power of design by committee to ruin a great concept car.


RE: Concept cars
By rs1 on 9/10/2009 1:03:12 PM , Rating: 2
On the plus side, maybe that means they'll fix the color. That yellow looks awful.


By Chudilo on 9/10/2009 1:35:20 PM , Rating: 2
I am currently leasing a Volvo c30 and loving it. I live in NYC and having a roomy small car that is very flexible on the inside is of great use to me. With the rear seats folded, the cargo room gets pretty substantial.(I can fit 2 full size bicycles in the back)
It's also pretty fast on the road with a 2.5 liter turbocharged engine and handles Very Well. I actually never expected that kind of handling from a Volvo when I test drove it. It is much easier to find parking, as I can take up smallish parking spaces that a full size sedan or an SUV wouldn't fit into.

However at the end of this year , when my lease expires, I'm going to have to replace it with a 4 door to accommodate for an addition to the family. I sure wish there was something in the same body type to serve that need.

This concept is exactly that. If it handles well while being a hybrid, I am sure Lexus will have no problem selling it. They are probably going to be too late to market with this thing for me, but I'm sure there are lots of people in large cities all over the globe , that would be in need of a car like this.
I've read some articles about Volvo working on a hybrid version of a c30 and perhaps a 4 door version as well. Let's see who can bring this to market first.




Audi A3 TDI FTW
By Fenixgoon on 9/10/2009 7:18:20 PM , Rating: 2
Interesting concept Lexus has there, but the A3 TDI is out right now. Good looking, good handling, and just as good or better gas mileage than an HS 250 (and presumably this concept as well). And it's 2k cheaper than the HS250.

TDI power, baby!




That be FUGLY !
By Beenthere on 9/10/2009 1:38:57 PM , Rating: 1
Kill the fool who penned that abortion.




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