Toyota to Build Hybrid Lexus LS

Toyota Motor Corp., the world’s largest seller of cars powered by a combination of gasoline and electricity, will build a hybrid model of its Lexus LS sedan in 2007. It will be the luxury brand’s most expensive model to date.

The Lexus LS600hL will arrive in the U.S. in early 2007 with a V-8 engine and electric motor that produce more than 430 horsepower, the company said. Its price hasn’t been set. Gasoline-only models of the car, typically $10,000 cheaper than the equivalent hybrid, will cost about $60,000.