2010 Lexus HS 250h Luxury Hybrid sale is down

Well, it seems like the U.S. market agrees with us. While Lexus had expected to sell 20,000 or more HS models a year--down from projections of 30,000 before the recession--Ward's Auto now reports that the total may be considerably lower than that.

Demand in Japan has been high for the car, so high in fact that early reports suggested U.S. supplies of the car might be affected. But Ward's projects U.S. sales of less than 14,000 units.

Part of the problem may be that upper-end models of the 2010 Toyota Prius not only offer a higher level of luxury equipment than on any previous Prius, but also get considerably higher gas mileage: 51 mpg city, 48 mpg highway versus 35 mpg city, 34 mpg highway for the HS.

The situation could change if fuel prices rise again, but so far this spring, increases have been moderate.