The green brigade's voice has gotten louder following the launch of the Lexus CT200h in Malaysia, the world's first full hybrid luxury compact, and it will cost under RM200k even for the highest spec model.<b></b><b></b><b></b><b></b><b></b><b></b><b></b><b></b><b></b><b></b><b></b><b></b><b></b><b></b><b></b><b></b><b></b>
The CT200h is a five door hatchback that maintains the stringent standards of Lexus while doing its bit to keep the environment clean. Motivation comes from the same powertrain found in its sibling, the Toyota Prius, the 1.8-liter Atkinson cycle petrol engine mated to an electric motor and transfers power to the front wheels via CVT transmission that works to keep the engine in its optimal state.
On its own, the petrol engine churns out 98hp and combined with the electric motor it produces a total of 134hp and 207Nm of torque. Manufacture figures rate the fuel consumption at a very impressive 33km for every liter of fuel consumed.
Don't be fooled into thinking that the CT200h is a reskinned Prius though as it shares more of its architecture with the HS hybrid sedan. A total of four driving modes are available for the driver to choose from with them being Eco, EV, Normal and Sport.
Eco mode readjusts all the powertrain's parameters for the most fuel efficient operation while EV mode keeps it running purely on the battery's power for speeds up to 45km/h. The maximum distance that the EV mode can sustain the car's movement is 2km, with the battery's charge permitting.
Normal mode is just as the name suggest while Sport mode tightens up the handling and increases the output as well. The throttle and electric power steering settings are made more responsive while the stability control and traction control allow for more leeway before kicking in.
The difference between the Luxury and standard model is mostly cosmetic save for the use of performance dampers in the Luxury model. Things like the navigation system, Bluetooth functionality and reverse camera are absent from the standard model, which is understandable but Lexus has also omitted powered front seats for the base model.
Safety hasn't been compromised as well with a total of eight airbags for the cabin and ABS, BA, VSC, TRC and EBD all coming as standard.
One of the major differences between the CT200h and the Prius would be the rear suspension setup. While the Prius utilises a torsion beam setup to free up more space in the cabin, the CT200h gets a double wishbone layout that does cut into the rear storage space. Nonetheless, nobody would be complaining about a little less space as the cargo holding area is huge at 375-liters and just under 1,000 liters with the rear seats folded away.
The base model CT200h goes for RM 168,000 (OTR wo/insurance) while the Luxury spec will set you back almost RM30k more at RM196,500 (OTR wo/insurance). Just in case you were curious, the CT200h would cost almost twice the price if the government didn't abolish the import duty for hybrid cars this year.
Lexus are confident of meeting their targeted sales of 800 units for the year and have already gotten over 200 bookings so far. Based on the bookings made thus far, the buyers are split evenly between the two variations. If you put in your order now, you can expect the Lexus to be parked in your driveway sometime in June, as production for the Malaysian models are just beginning in Japan.
