Howstuffworks Videos "Lexus GS450h, First Hybrid Luxury Car"

HowStuffWorks has an in-depth look at some of the most famous and infamous car models over the last 40 years with our selection of car model videos.

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Lexus GS450h, First Hybrid Luxury Car: We had the opportunity to discover the world's first hybrid luxury car in the biggest Toyota showroom in Japan. We also were able to test this first gas/electric engineered Lexus afterwards. This GS450h (h for hybrid) is based on the high-end GS350 model and adopts a traditional 3.5l V6 engine and an electrical engine based on a Nickel-Metal Hybrid battery with a 280DC voltage, and this combo offers the same performances as a traditional 4.5l model, hence the GS450h denomination. This GS450h offers an acceleration from 40 to 70km/h in 2.4 seconds and a 0 to 100km/h in 5.6 seconds. This vehicle has no difficulties to pass the strictest environment regulations. An example of this is that the GS450h stays 20% below the Japanese regulations for 2010. The car comes with a very complete on-board system that offers GPS and an extensive safety set with for example the "Pre-Crash Safety System" that detects not only the movements of other cars near the Lexus but also the position of the driver; How Hybrid Cars Work