The Lexus CT 200h thankfully skips the ugly wedge shape design that is common with the Toyota Prius and Honda Insight hybrid cars. Instead the Lexus CT 200h is a hatchback and still musters an ultra low drag coefficient of 0.29 which is necessary to get good gas mileage numbers. For comparison the current Toyota Prius has a drag coefficient rating of 0.25. Pretty similar and definitely not enough of a difference to explain the gap in MPG numbers.

Both the Lexus CT 200h and the 2011 Toyota Prius are powered by the same 1.8 Liter 4-cylinder Atkinson Cycle Engine. This engine is ultra efficient and makes 98 horsepower and 105 lb-ft. of torque. What makes the Lexus CT 200h a hybrid is the electric motor and battery assist. This electric motor adds more horsepower and torque bringing the total up to 134 HP. The Lexus CT 200h also has the same CVT transmission as the Prius which allows for optimum gear selection. And being a parallel hybrid, the Lexus CT 200h can drive on gas, electric, or a combination of both.

Another great feature about the Lexus CT 200h is the fact that the battery pack is placed with cargo space in mind. The battery pack is a 38-module Nickel Metal Hydride unit weighing only 118 lbs. And do not worry about the longjevity of the battery pack as all new Lexus CT 200h hybrid cars come with a 8-year 100k mile warranty on the batteries.

Regenerative Braking is pretty common and the Lexus CT 200h uses this method to recharge the batteries. When you stop, the braking energy is converted into electricity. This efficient system also powers the electric water pump and the electric power steering components. Since these units are not driven by belts on the engine, the Lexus CT 200h sees gas mileage improvements.

The Hybrid Synergy Drive on the Lexus CT 200h allows the driver to choose between 4 modes: EV, ECO, Normal, and Sport.

• EV Mode – EV stands for electric vehicle and the Lexus CT 200h is equipped to run up to 25 MPH on pure electricity alone. This is great for stop and go traffic and really helps with the gas mileage. Also while in EV mode the car produces Zero emissions
• ECO Mode – With the Lexus CT 200h in ECO mode you can expect the best gas mileage but you also get the worst performance in terms of acceleration.
• Normal Mode – This mode increases throttle response and is good for normal driving situations.
• Sport Mode – Sport offers the best acceleration and adjust the steering, traction, and stability control settings. You also get the worst gas mileage while in Sport mode.

So in conclusion the Lexus CT 200h has all the same operating systems as the Toyota Prius yet net a far lower fuel economy rating. The Lexus CT 200h Gas Mileage is 43 MPG city, 40 MPG highway, and 42 MPG combined. While the Prius enjoys 51 MPG city, 48 MPG highway, and 50 MPG combined. Drag coefficient cannot be the cause of the variation in gas mileage and the Lexus CT 200h only weighs 100 more lbs. than the Prius. And both cars sport low rolling resistance tires. What Gives?

Photo Credits : http://www.lexus.com/models/CTh/

Since the release of the Prius into the U.S. in 2000, Toyota have sold over 1 million Toyota and Lexua hybrid cars in the U.S. All of those hybrid car sales have accounted for half of Toyota’s worldwide hybrid car sales.

Toyota released their third generation Prius into the U.S. market earlier this year which carries an sales forecast of around 180,000 sales in it’s first year. A considerable amount more than expected for the new luxury Lexus hybrid.
However, they have have forecasted this number of sales, but whether they will be able to reach that number is a separate matter. Although the amount of car sales in May rose since last month, the amount of car sales since the start of 2009 as dropped by 36% in the U.S. Even more bad news has struck Toyota, the amount of hybrid car sales has slumped recently. This is because although fuel prices rose by large amounts last summer, since the beginning of the year they have dropped considerably.

The price drop has caused a shift in the market, more people are buying gasoline powered cars because a hybrid car will often set you back $4000 more than a normal car.

That aside, Toyota still have high hopes their new luxury Hybrid car because they believe that the car market is improving and the requirement for hybrid cars is coming back.  Prices on the new 2010 Lexus Hybrid begin at around $35,000.  And the gas mileage ratings for this car are expected to be 35 cobined MPG.