You can’t fault Lexus for trying, but the brand’s first attempt at a high-mileage compact luxury hybrid just didn’t work. Lexus will officially end product of its HS 250h due to abysmal sales.

Production on the HS 250h ceased back in January and subsequent slow sales led Toyota to finally discontinue the vehicle all together. After selling 10,663 units in 2010–still well below initial projections–HS sales dropped a staggering 73-percent to just 2,864 in 2011.

Bland styling may not be a huge deterrent for the Toyota-branded Prius, but luxury car buyers clearly wanted a vehicle that was just a little more exciting. That led to the creation of the Lexus CT 200h. Although not quite as efficient as the HS, the CT 200h offered the youthful, sporty character that was lacking in the HS.

Despite having one less hybrid in the lineup, luxury buyers aren’t going to be hurting for hybrids. Lexus continues to sell the aforementioned CT 200h as well as the ES 300h, not to mention RX, GS, and LS hybrids.

The family hauler has come a long way since the days of the Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser and the Ford Country Squire. In fact, big station wagons are all but relics of the past, replaced in popularity by SUVs and crossovers. That’s not to say the wagon is dead, and those with the need to get their family from coast to coast in a hurry have a…

Soon, you’ll be able to add one more thing to Boris Said’s extensive racing resume: Pikes Peak Hill Climb veteran. Said will compete behind the wheel of a BMW M3 in this year’s event, but it isn’t just another race-prepped BMW that the NASCAR driver will be piloting. The M3 that Said will drive on his race to the clouds is…

There’s no denying that Carroll Shelby permanently etched his mark on the American landscape with big, bold strokes. Over the course of his career, Shelby worked as everything from a farmer through a Formula One driver, but he was perhaps best known as the mad genius who shoehorned a Ford V-8 into an AC Ace roadster. You can’t recap…

If you collect or restore cars as a hobby, you already know that the government isn’t always your friend. Each passing year seems to bring new regulations and restrictions, despite the fact that the car hobby pumps a significant amount of money into the economy, on a local, state and national level. Not everyone in Washington, D.C. wants you…

When it comes to hands-free infotainment solutions, automakers aren’t the only ones looking to make both the government and consumers happy. Now Apple has joined the fray, with a novel approach to adding steering-wheel-mounted controls. As the diagram shows, Apple’s solution is a steering-wheel mounted clickwheel (as used on the iPod…

Once the preserve of control panels on the Starship Enterprise, touch technology is now central to some of the most popular gadgets, including smartphones and satellite-navigation systems. It’ll soon take over much of our car interiors too, says electronics firm Magna. The company has been working on what it calls Intelligent Surface Technology, a…

Subaru unveiled the Advanced Tourer Concept at the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show last December, and we all thought it was previewing the next-generation Legacy and Outback. Motor Trend now reports that the concept actually hints at the next-generation WRX. The front-end design of the new WRX will reportedly take styling cues from the Advanced Tourer…

Through Thursday, the emphasis at Indianapolis Motor Speedway has been on preparing 33 IZOD IndyCar Series race cars, teams and drivers for the 96th Indianapolis 500, scheduled for May 27. On Friday, May 18 the emphasis switches to that other race - to take the Peak Pole position for the race. There was a good deal of drafting practice Thursday…

The National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) is moving toward inclusion and transparency in its Full Throttle Drag Racing Series, with the formation of its Nitro Technical Advisory Council, chaired by Glen Gray, vice president of technical operations. The group will provide input on current and future rules, together with tackling other technical…