The Lexus' whirligig is familiar from the Toyota Camry and Avalon hybrids: a lean-burning Atkinson-cycle, 2.5-liter in-line four-cylinder (156 hp) coupled with two electric motors, one a 141-hp traction motor, the other a starter-generator.
With neither a battery nor a starter motor--they add too much weight--the only way to get this vehicle going is by push-starting it with a Chevy Suburban.