Chicago Preshow: Lexus CT 200h Concept Tune by Five Axis

Lexus will be showing off a wilder CT 200h prepared by parent company Toyota's tuning partner Five-Axis at the upcoming 2011 Chicago Auto Show, which runs for the public from February 11 to 20. The highly-modified Five Axis Project CT will be dressed in a custom made wide body kit with hybrid's bad-boy appearance further enhanced by the JDSU “Dark Passage” paint, the lowered ride height (thanks to a TEIN Flex coilover suspension system), and custom 19-inch FIVE:AD forged alloy wheels.

No word on any powertrain improvements, but the CT 200h concept study will get a bespoke interior treatment and a Stoptech High Performance Big Brake Kit on the front.

The Five Axis Project CT will be joined by numerous Lexus models including vehicles from last year’s SEMA Show such as a customized LS600h L by VIP Auto Salon and a revamped RX 450h courtesy of tuner Paul Tolson, EST Styling, plus the full range of production models like the 2012 LFA sports car.

Lexus Launches CT 200h in Japan to Boost Domestic Sales

Lexus has added the new CT 200h dedicated hybrid model to its Japanese line-up in an attempt to boost flagging sales in its home market. The company's first entry in the premium-compact segment is also its cheapest offering with prices in Japan ranging from 3.55 million yen to 4.33 million yen (about US$42,600 to US$52,000).

Originally designed with European customers in mind, the CT 200h has also made its way to North America as well as China, with more countries to be added to the list. In the U.S., the CT 200h is priced from $29,120.

The five-door hatchback from Lexus features the same hybrid powertrain as the Prius mating a 1.8-liter Atkinson cycle combustion engine with an electric motor, nickel-metal-hydride battery and a generator. Lexus said that using the 10-15 test cycle of the Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, the CT 200h returned a fuel efficiency of 34 km/lt (equal to 79.9 mpg US or 2.9 lt/100km).

The company said it plans to sell around 1,500 units a month of the CT 200h in Japan.

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New Lexus CT 200h F-Sport Receives World Premiere at 2010 Sydney Show

Lexus chose this week's Australian International Motor Show (AIMS) for the world premiere of its CT 200h F Sport model ahead of the car's introduction to Australia in the first half of 2011 as well other markets around the world.

As with other Lexus models, the F Sport treatment adds a number of visual and performance goodies to the firm's dedicated hybrid. On the outside, the CT 200h gets a sportier looking front bumper along with a honeycomb upper grille, beefier side skirts, and a reworked rear bumper that incorporates a diffuser.

The larger alloy wheels in a gunmetal finish and the option of a unique Flame Blue color round off the exterior upgrades.

Inside, those that opt for the F Sport-badged CT 200h will receive unique dashboard and door panel trims, plus F Sport steering wheel with a thicker rim, sports pedals, scuff plates, instrument panel and privacy glass.

While there are no changes to the CT 200h's hybrid powertrain, which comprises a 1.8-litre VVT-i petrol engine, an electric motor and an electronically-controlled continuously variable transmission (E-CVT), Lexus says the F-Sport features an up-rated suspension.

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Lexus Debuts Interactive Film for CT 200h Compact Hybrid

Lexus wants to give people a chance to call the shots in a new video campaign focusing on its upcoming 2011 CT 200h five-door hatchback. It's called "Dark Ride".

The luxury marque is making a short action film with a recognizable star racing around it a new model. Now you're thinking, "Wait, didn't BMW do this a while back? And Audi (kind of), more recently?"

Ah, but those films weren't interactive...

Here's how Lexus marketing VP Dave Nordstrom spins it: "With 'Dark Ride' we are creating a unique virtual test drive opportunity so consumers can experience this hybrid, that is like no other, months before it is available at dealerships in early 2011. In it, consumers play a co-starring role as the fun-to-drive Lexus CT 200h is put through its paces. By guiding the driver and the CT through a series of adventures, customers will be exposed to 'The Darker Side of Green,' which is completely different than the way hybrids are usually portrayed."

I would have cut that down for you, but you have to see for yourself how hard Lexus is selling it.

If you want to see the short film, head on over to the official site. Lexus says you can put yourself in the movie and even record your own lines, so...someone do that and send it in.

By Phil Alex

Link: Lexusdarkride

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Lexus CT 200h: Official Information and Photos on Compact Hybrid Out And About

Official information for Lexus's Euro-fighting hybrid, the CT 200h, has just come out of the Press Release closet. Riding on 17-inch wheels mounted to a newly-developed front-wheel drive platform, the smallest Lexus ever is powered by a 1.8-liter gasoline engine mated to an electric motor with power (no performance figures have been released) going through an E-CVT transmission with, surprise surprise, settings that include ECO, SPORT, and NORMAL. But these are all facts we already know.

Spacially, the CT comes in at 4,320 mm long and 1,765 mm wide, with a 2,600 mm wheelbase. That helps Lexus' Audi A3-fighter provide owners with 345 liters (12.2 cubic feet) of cargo room with the rear seats up, or 700 liters (24.7 cubic feet) with them folded down.

Suspending the car are McPherson struts and an anti-roll bar up front, while a double-wishbone setup does the job in the rear. Standard-fare shocks and springs are at all four corners, although the rear springs and shock absorbers were "positioned separately to minimize intrusion into the load-space floor".

Lexus says the rear suspension, which makes use of a lightweight trailing arm, is "exclusive to the CT 200h".

The interior - much like the exterior - is pulled heavily from last year's LF-Ch concept model, with its "asymmetrical dashboard" broken into a Display Zone (upper area) and Operation Zone (lower area including the shifter and Remote Touch control knob).

Other cool features include a switch in personality when SPORT mode is engaged: the "hybrid indicator" becomes a tachometer and the mood lighting goes from blue to red. Sporty.

Will this front-wheel drive compact-luxury-hybrid hatchback solve Lexus's sales woes in Europe? Time will tell, but having a small hybrid hatchback in one's lineup never hurts. Especially in Europe.

-By Phil Alex