Hybridized SUVs

A redesigned hybrid drivetrain gives Toyota's V6-powered SUVs-the Toyota Highlander and Lexus RX 400h-V8-like performance and compact-class fuel economy while achieving the most stringent SULEV emissions standard.

The Toyota Prius and the Lexus RX 400h are no longer the only members of Toyota Corp.'s North American hybrid fleet. In June the company began offering for sale a hybrid version of the Toyota Highlander.

“It may be hard to believe,” said Frank Sanayama, Assistant Chief Engineer and Project Manager, Toyota Technical Center, “but we have arrived at a point where the development of the Highlander hybrid, and all hybrids that follow, is no different than the development of any other vehicle in our lineup.”