Lexus CT200h eyes BMW buyers

After starting at the top end of the car business with its LS flagship and cascading down through the various categories, Lexus is finally ready with the most important car in its history.  The CT200h was unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show as a new-age compact hybrid but the bottom line is much more important - this is the Lexus rival to the Three.

It will also go up against the baby 1 Series and the Audi A3, but the CT is intended to win significant sales and do the job that Lexus has not been able to do with the IS. 

The CT is expected to be a major sales success in Australia.  "More importantly, it's the type of car that will bring new customers to Lexus," says the chief executive of Lexus Australia, Tony Cramb, speaking in Geneva.  "I think the CT, with its performance and equipment, is more closely a competitor to the high-end 1 Series or A3s. It is not designed or engineered as a low-end car."

But he admits the right prices are essential, with Lexus Australia aiming for something in the $55,000-60,000 range.  "We need to get it at the right price and that's something we're currently working on," Cramb says.

The CT200h is part of the expanding Prius family, using a 1.8-litre petrol engine liked with a compact electric motor through a continuously-variable transmission. There are three driving modes - including Sport - but the car can only run for two kilometres on battery electric power.

Visually, the CT is very close to the LF-Ch concept car unveiled by Lexus at last year's Frankfurt motor show.  But it sits on a new mechanical package - with a 2600mm wheelbase and basic luggage capacity of 345 litres - with MacPherson strut front suspension and a dedicated double-wishbone rear suspension which is much more advanced than the layout on the Prius.

Inside, the CT uses the same asymmetrical dashboard seen in the show car. The dashboard is split into an upper display zone with a large LCD multi-display screen and a lower zone with the gearshift lever and a remote touch multi-function controller.

CT production starts in December but Cramb is reluctant to discuss an arrival date in Australia.  “If we could get it from December production then I’d be very happen,” he says.  However, a more realistic goal is within 18 months.