Lexus held the second press conference of the 2009 Detroit auto show, where the HS 250h Hybrid was revealed. Coming as it did immediately after GM’s noisy press conference, Lexus was all quiet confidence. It has brought out a new hybrid every year since 2005, and the HS 250h is the first dedicated hybrid model from Lexus — there is not conventional gasoline-only counterpart. It’s hybrid or the highway, baby.

Lexus didn’t give a price for the new four-door sedan (it always waits until the last minute), but it did say the HS 250h is aimed at entry-level luxury car buyers who said in surveys that if there had been a hybrid in their price range, they would have bought it. Like a hybrid genie, Lexus is hoping to make their wishes come true.

As for its green cred, there aren’t any EPA mileage numbers, though the company says the HS 250h will get higher mileage than a Smart car. The interior plastics are plant-based, from the panels to the foam and upholstery. Thirty percent of the interior is recycled, while 85% of the entire car can be recycled at the end of its lifespan.

Thanks to Nissan’s pulling out of the 2009 Detroit Auto Show, Chinese auto manufacturer BYD (”Build Your Dreams”) got its chance to shine. Last year, BYD was relegated to the basement of the Cobo Center; this year, they were upstairs, between Subaru and fellow Chinese auto maker Brilliance, where the overhead lights could gleam off the company’s hybrid cars.

With a blast of music from the loudspeakers and a substantial investment from Warren Buffet, BYD is setting itself up to take on Toyota, Honda, Ford, and everyone else with a horse in the hybrid race. BYD began in 1995 as a battery producer, so building the car around the power system was a cinch. Like most other manufacturers with a new technology to sell, BYD brought a cutaway car to showcase its dual-mode hybrid system.

BYD’s first car, the F3DM, went on sale in China in December 2008. The company plans to bring its cars to the U.S. by 2011, and eventually to build them here, too. The next BYD car to reach showrooms will be a “family-sized” sedan, also dual-mode, called the F6DM. Both dual-mode cars have a 1-liter gasoline engine, an EV range of 68 miles, and a not-too-shabby 0-60 time of 10.5 seconds.

The BYD e6 is an all-electric vehicle with a 250-mile range and a 0-60 time of 8 seconds. It also features a “quick-charge” capacity that can restore 50% of its power in 10 minutes.

In all its cars, BYD promises safety, quality, affordability, and environmental responsibility. It’ll be interesting to see how they fare against the IIHS crash tests and EPA mileage machines.

At last: the 2010 Toyota Prius, making its world debut at the 2009 North American International Auto Show.

Here’s the skinny from Toyota’s Group VP Bob Carter, who introduced the car at the Detroit auto show:

• 50 mpg combined — the highest-mileage car sold in the U.S.
• Most aerodynamic production vehicle in the world, with a drag coefficient of .25
• Three driving modes: EV, economy, and power
• 0-60 in about 9 seconds (a noticeable improvement)
• Solar sun roof powers an interior cooling fan while the car is parked
• Sales start in late spring 2009 in the U.S. and Japan

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