Lexus Premium Compact – The Lexus CT?

Update 12th Feb 2010: Finally we get confirmation that the production name is the Lexus CT 200h.

Update 1st September: Lexus has now revealed their Premium Compact as the Lexus LF-Ch.

The rumours – or maybe the plan – of a Lexus compact premium car to compete with the likes of the BMW 1 Series and Audi A3 has been around for years. It makes sense for Lexus – at least in Japan and Europe – to stick a car in their range below the Lexus IS. After all, Toyota are huge and they’ve made a pretty good job of turning buyers on to Toyotas in luxury garb. So why not grab a portion of the rapidly burgeoning compact marker as well?

Back in ’05, the rumour was that the compact would be called the Lexus BS. Surely not. That would put it up there with the Mitsubishi Pajero (Shogun to us) that translates as Mitsubishi ‘Wanker’ in Spanish. Or the Starion, which Urban Legend has as the Stallion, except the news was conveyed to Mitsubishi’s Ad Agency by an English-speaking Japanese employee – you get the drift. So Lexus ‘BullShit’ is not a great start.

The other name rumoured was the Lexus CS. Which is fine. But it actually seems likely that the new Lexus will be the Lexus CT. Toyota has recently filed for trademarks on the ‘CT’ moniker so, unless they have something else in the pipeline, this would seem to be the choice. Which will do. And rumour has it that it will be based on the Toyota Auris underpinnings. Which would put a Lexus CT Hybrid firmly on the cards after the recent news of the Toyota Auris Hybrid.

Lexus are bringing their ‘Premium Compact Concept’ to Frankfurt next month. Presumably they’ll be ready to tell us what it’s called by then. Or maybe not.