Auto Couture: Fashions Designers get Creative with Recycled Lexus CT 200h Hybrid Parts

Lexus has bridged the worlds of cars and high-end fashion with a new project that challenged four fashion designers to create unique clothing pieces and accessories from more than 2,000 individual parts of a completely dismantled CT 200 hybrid hatchback for an advertising campaign that will appear in the January 2012 issue of Vogue magazine. Read more »

Lexus CT 200h: The Low Rider SEMA Edition

Next up on our list of Lexus project cars for the upcoming 2011 Specialty Equipment Market Association show is the CT 200h by Five Axis.

The aftermarket firm tricked out the hybrid hatchback with a custom paint job and a wide-body conversion. A lowered suspension and a set of 19-inch forged alloy wheels paired with 235/40ZR19 front and rear Yokohama tires lend the CT200 h a more aggressive stance.

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Lexus Adds Optional F-Sport Package to 2012 CT 200h

Lexus’ fifth hybrid vehicle and second dedicated hybrid after the HS sedan, the CT 200h, is cruising into its second model year with a few minor updates, the most important of which is the U.S. introduction of the optional F-Sport Package.

Unveiled for the first time at the 2010 Sydney Motor Show in Australia before making its North American debut at last year's SEMA gathering, the F-Sport Package for the CT 200h adds a limited number of visual and performance goods.

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Union of Concerned Scientists Releases 2011 Hybrid Scorecard: Prius = Good, Touareg Hybrid = Bad

The Union of Concerned Scientist, a non-profit science advocacy group in the U.S., has released its second annual Hybrid Scorecard. The organisation criticised hybrid car manufacturers for not delivering on the technology’s promise, for placing performance above fuel efficiency and environmental benefit and burdening hybrids with features that put them out of the price range of average Americans.

A total of 34 hybrid vehicles from the 2011 to 2012 model year were tested for their fuel efficiency, environmental impact, value-for-money and their so-called “forced-feature premium”. The latter is features that don’t improve fuel efficiency but probably make the cars more appealing to money-conscious consumers.

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Ad Watch: Renault Wind Roadster and Lexus CT 200h Hybrid

Selling a car through advertising isn’t as easy as you might think. What good is it showing your product nimbly taking on Alpine twists and turns when your competitors are doing the same thing? Here are two ads that don’t really break the mould, but try something a little different. Read more »

New Lexus CT 200h Hybrid Hatch goes on Sale in the UK Priced from £23,845

Created with the European market in mind, the new Lexus CT 200h hybrid hatchback has made its way to UK shores. Priced from £23,485 OTR, it costs £1,380 less than the next least expensive model in the Japanese firm’s UK lineup, the IS 200d that comes equipped with a 150HP 2.2-liter turbo diesel engine.

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