Is Lexus planning to cancel the CT hatchback in favor of sub-compact crossover? It’s been an ongoing rumor for much of the year, and now Motor Trend columnist Mike Connor cosigns the idea in the magazine’s latest issue:
Less of a mystery is what will happen when the Lexus CT200h dies after the 2017 model year. Yes, they’re still making that thing, but not for long. Tens of people will be upset: Lexus figures it can sell them the CT200h’s replacement, a subcompact luxury crossover likely based on the new Toyota C-HR.
Cancelling the CT is something that once seemed impossible, but no longer with crossovers dominating across all segments for the past two years. It’s all but confirmed that Lexus will launch a sub-compact crossover in the near future, likely using the UX nameplate, and as Joaquin Ruhi at Kaizen Factor notes:
Given all this, plus Lexus’ strong North American focus, it’s quite possible that the carmaker may have concluded that, once launched, UX would obliterate CT sales and that developing a new CT would be a waste of time and resources. Also, for the record, and as of this writing, Toyota has filed no further CT-related trademarks other than the original CT 200h.
Should we take this latest Motor Trend rumor as fact, it brings up a deeper question — if Lexus is going to cancel the CT in 2017, does this mean we’ll see its subcompact crossover replacement introduced within the year?
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