All About Japan Autos

Daily Auto News

At next week’s Geneva Auto Show, Lexus will unveil an all-new hybrid hatchback that is expected to be the least expensive vehicle in its showrooms soon. It’s called the CT 200h, and the automaker has offered a brief preview of the car to journalists.

Edmunds Inside Line reports, “The CT 200h is a compact five-door with an ample wheelbase and roomy cabin that has been designed to woo younger buyers to the brand.” A dedicated hybrid – there is no non-hybrid version – the little car “features a 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine and permanent magnet synchronous motor, which drive the front wheels separately or in tandem through an electronic continuously variable automatic transmission.” Like the 2010 Toyota Prius and the Lexus HS250h, it will offer drivers the choice of several driving modes with varying levels of performance and fuel-economy. “The CT 200h offers four selectable driving modes: Eco, Normal, Sport and pure EV.”

That last mode may function better in the CT than in other Toyota hybrids. Autoblog reports, “According to Lexus, its hybrid hatchback can run in EV mode for up to 1.2 miles at speeds up to 28 miles per hour.” The company claims the 2010 Prius can run in pure EV mode only up to about 10 mph – and those who’ve driven it know that even that claim is optimistic. In cold weather, pure EV mode is often unavailable on the Prius at any speed.

Autoblog continues, “From what we can tell, the car retains some of Lexus’s L-finesse design philosophy as seen on the LF-Ch concept that debuted in Frankfurt last year, except in a somewhat more production-ready (read: toned-down) state.”

Inside, Edmunds Inside line reports, “The cockpit is trimmed in leather and soft-touch materials, with polished metallic accents and such features as an 8-inch LCD multi-display screen and remote-touch controls.”

It isn’t clear when the CT will reach showrooms. Several media outlets are reporting that the design will go on sale in Europe in the fall, with a U.S. launch date not yet fixed.

If you’re in the market for a new car, check out the U.S. News rankings of this year’s best cars as well as this month’s best car deals.