Lexus USA has their sights set on selling 25,000 HS 250h a year, according to a new report from Bloomberg.
25,000 units, or approximately 2,083 per month, would put the HS 250h just below the IS lineup in current sales, and is down from the initial expectation of 30,000 units sold given at January’s Detroit auto show. Yet, even with the reduced numbers, there’s a possibility this may be too high an estimate:
“Given where fuel prices are likely to be later this year, 25,000 sounds pretty optimistic,” said Jack Nerad, executive market analyst at Kelley Blue Book, an Irvine, California-based automotive research firm. “Without fuel prices that are consistently higher, it’s hard to know the true size of the hybrid market.”
It’s always difficult to gauge how a new vehicle, especially one as unique as the HS, will do in the market. During the hybrid sedan’s development, gas prices climbed to unbelievable heights, yet the US economic crash saw gas drop 40% in cost—and took the HS’ primary selling point down with it. Whether or not this will take its toll on HS sales remains to be seen.
[Source: Bloomberg]