Lexus GS300h Likely to Use V6 Hybrid Engine

After speculating that the new GS hybrid, likely called the GS300h, would run with the 2.5-liter 4-cylinder gas engine found in the ES300h(shown above), Lexus has dropped some hints which now point to a V6 engine being under the hood. 

Yoshihiko Kanamori, the lead designer of the Lexus GS, said to Autocar that the need for in-cabin noise cancellation in the new four-cylinder Audi A8 hybrid  is one of the reasons that a Lexus GS “could never have a four-cylinder engine.”

The car needs to offer more affordability than the larger GS450h, so it will have to have small engine. And the 2.5-litre V6 engine that is fitted to the new GS250 seems like a good fit, considering the company won’t be using the small four-cylinder. Lexus’ new hybrid philosophy also points towards the small frugal V6, as the company wants to get away from large thirsty hybrids in favor of small fuel-saving models.

While nothing is confirmed, whatever runs the car will have to hit a CO2 figure of at least 119g/km to match the BMW 520ed, its main competitor.

[Source: AutoCar]