2014 Lexus CT200h revealed

Weak results in the booming prestige small-car market hope to change with Lexus soon to upgrade its smallest model, the hybrid CT200h.

The $40,000-plus small-car prestige segment is the Australian market's best-performing category in year-to-date October figures, up 64 per cent on the same time last year.

Big winners are the Mercedes-Benz pair of the A-Class and B-Class with 5468 sales to date, but the sole Lexus entry attracted 702 buyers, down 43 per cent on last year. But it remains the third best-selling Lexus, trailing the RX SUV and compact IS series.

On sale from April, the improved CT200h adds better body rigidity, lower cabin noise and suspension refinement to improve ride and handling.
It will also be the seventh model to get Lexus' new family spindle-shaped grille.

The Toyota-based Prius hybrid 100kW/142Nm drivetrain won't be changed in the 2014 upgrade, with Lexus aiming all attention to reducing noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) by making the body more rigid, the suspension more comfortable and wind noise reduced by attention to the car's aerodynamics. Lexus says there are 94 separate changes to the car to reduce NVH.

The grille and the rear bumper will be the only exterior panels to be changed for the 2014 model, though it will receive 10-spoke alloy wheels in 16-inch or 17-inch sizes. The unusual design of the rear of the hatchback, with confused angles and window shapes, is a talking point and is not being changed.

Cabin differences include a new, smaller-diameter steering wheel borrowed from the IS-series, a TFT screen within the main instrument panel, improvements to the satellite-navigation operation and the introduction of unique audio speakers made using bamboo. Lexus Australia chief executive Sean Hanley says the changes will improve "its overall dynamic capabilities, driveability and visual appeal".
Final specification and price will be announced closer to the car's launch.

Meanwhile Lexus has added a entry-level hybrid version of its GS range. The GS300h uses the same hybrid drivetrain as the IS300h — 164kW/221Nm 2.5-litre four-cylinder — and is priced from $79,000 for the Luxury. There are three GS300h models — the Luxury, F-Sport at $87,000 and the $102,000 Sports Luxury.

The inclusion of these models has chopped the bigger GS450h Luxury hybrid ($99,900) and petrol GS250 Sports Luxury ($99,400) from the Australian market. The model shuffle places more emphasis on hybrid and sets Lexus up as a manufacturer of both conventional and electric powerplants.

The writer is on Twitter: @cg_dowling