With the catnip figure of 94g/km CO2 expect company car buyers to cock a snook at the mainstream market and plunge for the new premium compact from Lexus, but can the CT200h take on the BMW 118d and Audi A3 diesel?
Never before has the luxury arm of Toyota launched a car so small and so un-Lexus-like, but perhaps never before has it launched a car quite as important as the CT200h, for the hybrid hatchback has the potential to expand the brand to a whole new group of people.
Every 12 months the Toyota group loses 10 per cent of its customers to a premium brand, but only 10 per cent buy a Lexus. However, more than a third of those same people buy a car the size of a CT200h - in other words, a BMW 1-Series or an Audi A3.
Never before has the luxury arm of Toyota launched a car so small and so un-Lexus-like, but perhaps never before has it launched a car quite as important as the CT200h, for the hybrid hatchback has the potential to expand the brand to a whole new group of people.
Every 12 months the Toyota group loses 10 per cent of its customers to a premium brand, but only 10 per cent buy a Lexus. However, more than a third of those same people buy a car the size of a CT200h - in other words, a BMW 1-Series or an Audi A3.
Unsurprisingly, the motoring gurus at Toyota's Kyushu Kokura plant have become rather fed-up with this and have gone in search of their share of the cake. Hence a Lexus with a starting price of just £23,485.
But just because Lexus has produced an affordable hatch, don't go expecting off-the-peg quality; the CT200h is more a masterfully made-to-measure suit with a combination of elegance and dynamic appeal. From the outside the car has a distinctive, sharp-edged look, while inside handcrafted elements, metallic finishes and dark soft materials underline the hybrid's premium quality.
Like a suit made by the finest bespoke tailor, the design chiefs at Lexus have ensured your crotch doesn't hang down by your knees and your jacket isn't too tight. Instead the CT200h has a highly focused driver's cabin, with a low-set driver's seat with generous lateral and lumbar support, a wide-grip steering wheel and an instrument binnacle housing large, high-visibility triple dials.
But while this tailored suit from Lexus will give its occupant a confident swagger and a gushing breeze of self belief, it won't demand a letter to the Highways Agency ordering our drab A-roads be torn-up in favour of something more fun, something more Stelvio Pass.
The class-leading 94g/km CO2 figure - which qualifies it for zero annual road tax and exemption from the London congestion charge - is by far and away the headline figure, closely followed by a combined cycle fuel consumption of 68.9mpg, yet there is no getting away from the fact the CT200h takes more than 10 seconds to reach 62mph from a standing start.
But does it matter that the 134 Japanese horses under the bonnet often feel reluctant to break into a gallop when the hybrid powertrain is more than suitable for the kind of driving most people do when they have a 118d or A3 as their company car?
It leaves me with a slight tinge of personal disappointment, but I rather suspect most people won't worry and instead be drawn to the CT200h because it will take you from A to B in comfort and style, and in a green and fuel efficient way.
Add to the mix that the CT200h gives existing Lexus customers the option to downsize without losing the benefit of superior refinement, quality and equipment levels, while also creating a stepping stone into the premium market for mainstream customers and I would say Lexus is on to a winner.
Can it really compete with the BMW 118d and Audi A3 diesel? Only time will tell.
By Richard Jones
But just because Lexus has produced an affordable hatch, don't go expecting off-the-peg quality; the CT200h is more a masterfully made-to-measure suit with a combination of elegance and dynamic appeal. From the outside the car has a distinctive, sharp-edged look, while inside handcrafted elements, metallic finishes and dark soft materials underline the hybrid's premium quality.
Like a suit made by the finest bespoke tailor, the design chiefs at Lexus have ensured your crotch doesn't hang down by your knees and your jacket isn't too tight. Instead the CT200h has a highly focused driver's cabin, with a low-set driver's seat with generous lateral and lumbar support, a wide-grip steering wheel and an instrument binnacle housing large, high-visibility triple dials.
But while this tailored suit from Lexus will give its occupant a confident swagger and a gushing breeze of self belief, it won't demand a letter to the Highways Agency ordering our drab A-roads be torn-up in favour of something more fun, something more Stelvio Pass.
The class-leading 94g/km CO2 figure - which qualifies it for zero annual road tax and exemption from the London congestion charge - is by far and away the headline figure, closely followed by a combined cycle fuel consumption of 68.9mpg, yet there is no getting away from the fact the CT200h takes more than 10 seconds to reach 62mph from a standing start.
But does it matter that the 134 Japanese horses under the bonnet often feel reluctant to break into a gallop when the hybrid powertrain is more than suitable for the kind of driving most people do when they have a 118d or A3 as their company car?
It leaves me with a slight tinge of personal disappointment, but I rather suspect most people won't worry and instead be drawn to the CT200h because it will take you from A to B in comfort and style, and in a green and fuel efficient way.
Add to the mix that the CT200h gives existing Lexus customers the option to downsize without losing the benefit of superior refinement, quality and equipment levels, while also creating a stepping stone into the premium market for mainstream customers and I would say Lexus is on to a winner.
Can it really compete with the BMW 118d and Audi A3 diesel? Only time will tell.
By Richard Jones
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