Lexus says it has tweaked its new hybrid hatch in response to media criticism of the car at its global launch last year.

Lexus CT200h brought up to scratch

Lexus says it has tweaked its new hybrid hatch in response to media criticism of the car at its global launch last year.

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2011 Lexus CT200h

Lexus CT200h hybrid hatchback.

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Lexus says the CT200h hybrid hatchback that's just arrived in Australia is different to those that received lukewarm media reviews from a drive in France last year.
Speaking at the launch of the $39,990-plus petrol-electric hatch Lexus Australia corporate manager of product planning, Greg Gardner, confirmed the ambitious Japanese brand had revised the suspension and added more sound deadening to a car Drive came away disappointed with after first sampling it in France last year. The four-model CT200h range also gets tweaked tyres and "robot welding" for the bodies, which is said to offer greater strength than the hand welded pre-production vehicles driven by media in September 2010.
Admitting he was disappointed with the media reception to the crucial new Lexus model - the brand's first ever four-cylinder sold here - CT200h chief engineer Osamu Sadakata is confident the new CT200h will help boost the brand's local sales by almost 25 per cent in line with a plan to achieve near-record sales levels in 2011.
Lexus Australia chief executive Tony Cramb says the CT200h will "challenge the established market" using its hybrid drivetrain - a 1.8-litre four-cylinder engine and two electric motors - to deliver class leading carbon dioxide emissions and impressively low fuel consumption of 4.1 litres per 100km.
"This is a momentus year for Lexus," he says. "This is a unique product ... and a completely new proposition."
Under the bonnet the CT200h shares its engine with the Toyota Prius. However there are some unique tunes to give it a more responsive and sporty feel in the Sports mode, the most aggressive of four driving modes that adjust steering response and feel, throttle response, engine operation and rev limit, as well as the threshold of the stability and traction control systems.
Despite shunning diesel engines and throwing its environmental weight in the hybrid category Lexus must still overcome the perceived negatives of hybrid engines, which includes unfounded concerns over long-term battery life.
Hybrids also don't have the mass market appeal of diesel vehicles, which are gaining in popularity.
Despite impressive percentage growth over more than a decade hybrids still account for less than 1 per cent of the new-car market. So far this year hybrid sales have slumped 21 per cent, although Toyota Is gearing up to slash the price of its Prius, potentially reinvigorating interest in a vehicle that teams a conventional petrol engine with an electric motor.
Apart from being the cleanest, most efficient car in the booming luxury small car segment that's dominated by German brands Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz, the CT200h has plenty of standard equipment.
Standard features include climate control air-conditioning, keyless start, automatic headlights, USB audio input, alloy wheels, eight airbags and stability control.
In a further nod to the environment, materials include a bio-plastic in the boot lining and the option of bamboo, said to be more sustainable and eco-friendly than other types of wood.
Lexus also says the CT200h is 85 per cent recyclable; the battery is 96 per cent recyclable.