Lexus introduced the new HS lineup in its range at the 2009 North American International Motor Show to fill the market’s needs for a compact premium hybrid sedan.
Toyota is one of the most prominent players in hybrid-car technology since the introduction of the Prius in 1997. Its expertise in that area was transferred for its premium brand Lexus. The 250 h was the most fuel-efficient car among its stablemates.

After successfully introducing several hybrid models, Lexus transferred the Toyota Avensis in its lineup, enhanced it, and renamed it 250 h. It was one of the most aerodynamic vehicles from the premium Japanese carmaker, with a drag coefficient of just 0.27. The headlights followed the same lines as the rest of the other Lexus vehicles. But it was hard to hide the fact that it was based on the Avensis.

The interior was reshaped to fit in the Lexus customer’s needs. The first noticeable change was on the center stack, where the gear selector should have been. Instead of that, there was the Lexus multimedia controller, which acts as a trackball. The gear selector was closer to the steering wheel, and it was identical to the one found in the Prius.

There was a parallel hybrid drive system with a 2.5-liter Atkinson cycle gasoline engine and an electric motor under the hood. That system was paired to an eCVT automatic gearbox that sent the power to the front wheel. For that time, among other revolutionary systems was the adaptive cruise control based on radar and the lane-keep-assist based on a camera.