The World’s First Hybrid V8 Production Car

Hybrid technology, along with full electric propulsion, has become a buzzword in the automotive space over the last decade or so, especially with the focus on building greener and less environmentally destructive vehicles. The tech has been combined with a wide variety of engine types, with the electric motor helping to take some of the strain away from the engine, allowing it to use less fuel and thus improve fuel efficiency.

This is particularly useful for big engines like V8s, which can drink fuel like an alcoholic at a beer festival. The beauty of a hybrid V8 is that you can still enjoy the sound and performance, but without having to visit the gas station as often. You get a nice tax break, too, and this was the first road car to use the layout.

Lexus Pushed The Limits With Its Flagship Model

The Lexus LS ensured the Toyota-owned luxury brand was able to make a splash when it debuted in 1989, the then LS400 going head-to-head with respected and well-established models like the BMW 7-Series and Mercedes-Benz S-Class. Toyota developed Lexus to take on the biggest luxury brands in the world, and in particular, was after a slice of the lucrative North American luxury car market.

The LS400 proved popular due to its over-engineered nature, the car offering a level of luxury, refinement, and reliability that ensured its European rivals needed to take note. The car proved popular and established Lexus as a superpower immediately, with the nameplate remaining its flagship to this day.

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The Fourth-Gen LS Continued This Trend

This continued with the introduction of the fourth-gen XF40 LS, which arrived in 2007. Alongside the sleeker and more modern design language that Lexus employed in the mid-2000s, the LS received the usual boost in terms of gizmos, luxury touches, and safety equipment as the industry continued to innovate. Arguably, the biggest headline was the engine in the range-topping LS600h.

For the first time in any production car, a V8 was mated to a hybrid propulsion system. Lexus developed it to offer a similar amount of grunt (seen in the larger V12 engines used by some of its rivals) but while using significantly less fuel.

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Have your say: Why are sales of the Nissan luxury brand, Infiniti, so far behind Lexus and Acura?

Infiniti sold 64,699 cars in 2023, way behind Acura (145,655) and Lexus (320,249). Infiniti’s issues are multifaceted, including the fact that it has had a dated product lineup for too long, and it hasn’t had a car as appealing as the G35 in a long time. The Japanese automaker is hoping to get back to its glory days with models like the 2025 QX80 and its first fully electric models. Can Infiniti recapture the success of the 2000s and early 2010s, when it was competitive with Lexus on the sales charts?

Lexus’ Hybrid V8 Was A Revelation

The meat of the setup is a 5.0-liter naturally aspirated V8 named the 2UR-FSE, which was developed specifically to run alongside an electric motor. This particular unit has only ever featured in the LS600h and the related Toyota Century, and produces 394 hp on its own. The big lump features a block and cylinder heads made from aluminum to help save weight, as well as magnesium engine valve covers to further help the cause. A single electric motor comes along for the ride, and adds an extra 40 hp to culminate in a total system output of 433 hp.

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To help boost efficiency, the LS600h could run purely on battery power in low-speed situations, such as when starting or cruising through traffic. Once reaching higher speeds, the V8 would kick in to help recharge the battery. A kinetic braking regeneration setup, which turns energy normally wasted during braking into usable battery power, was also brought along to further boost the powertrain’s efficiency. A smooth single-speed e-CVT transmission was used in conjunction with the engine, while all-wheel drive was implemented to help put the grunt to the road.

The Hybrid V8 Rivaled The V12 Powerplants Its Competitors Used

The hybrid V8 proved very effective, with its 433 hp matching up well to rivals like the BMW 7-Series. The range-topping 760Li utilized a naturally aspirated 6.0-liter V12, which provided an only-slightly superior 438 hp. This meant that the two had strikingly similar 0-60 mph efforts, with the BMW pipping the Lexus to the benchmark with a 5.4-second effort versus 5.6 seconds for the LS600h.

The real value came in the form of fuel efficiency though, with the BMWs’ combined 15 MPG EPA figure coming in a full six MPG behind the LS600h’s combined 21 MPG. Many drivers saw numbers higher than this, too, especially when spending more time at lower speeds, when the V8 wasn’t active. Lexus wasn’t lying, as the LS600h truly offered V12 levels of performance but with the efficiency of a much smaller powerplant. The tech has been further refined to this day, with most range-topping luxury models now featuring some form of hybrid powertrain.

A Used LS600h Offers Great Value

While the union of a meaty V8 and an efficient hybrid system sounds like a thing of dreams, it remained just so for many buyers due to the car costing over $100,000 when it was new. Happily, thanks to depreciation, used LS600hs are worth a small fraction of their original MSRP in 2025.

Kelley Blue Book reports that early 2008 cars in good condition can be had for under $10,000, while later facelifted and refreshed versions can be had for closer to $30,000. This still puts them at around a third of their original price though, which isn’t bad given the 2014 model is a shade over a decade old. Each LS600h comes with legendary Toyota durability as standard, though the later cars have their annoying little issues ironed out, so they will be the best ones to look for if your budget allows.

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While the LS600h was the first V8 production car with a hybrid unit, Toyota had acted as a trailblazer for the technology for north of half a decade prior to Lexus’ fourth-generation flagship making its bow. Toyota unleashed the first mass-produced production car to feature a hybrid powertrain, the Toyota Prius, in 1997. It was only for the Japanese market initially, with the model coming to the US for the 2001 model year. The Prius combined a small 1.5-liter inline-four engine with a single electric motor, which resulted in a combined power output of 114 hp.

Toyota’s Hybrid Development Journey

• 1997: Prius becomes first mass-produced road car to feature the technology
• 2005: RX 400h is first luxury car to come with hybrid powertrain
• 2007: LS600h becomes the first V8 production car to have hybrid technology
• 2007: GS 450h becomes first mid-sized and rear-wheel-drive performance sedan with hybrid technology

The efficient unit allowed the Prius to achieve an EPA average MPG of 48, a figure significantly higher than most other compact cars on sale at the time.

Lexus Built The First Luxury Car With A Hybrid Powertrain

The Japanese manufacturer continued to develop its hybrid tech over the coming years, efforts that ended up being transferred to Lexus. The brand developed the RX 400h SUV, which was released with a hybrid-boosted 3.3-liter V6 in 2005. Like the LS600h that would come later, the hybrid system featured in the RX 400h allowed it to boast superior efficiency to its pure-ICE-equipped rivals.

It was the first luxury vehicle to come with a hybrid system, a feat seen as normal now but which was revolutionary at the time. Should Toyota’s experiments with hydrogen combustion move forward in the future, we could see a repeat of the hybrid revolution once more in the coming decades. That said, with synthetic fuel technology development gathering pace, perhaps we won’t need it after all.

Sources: Lexus, Toyota, BMW.