Is Lexus Planning a CT Spin-off?

Back in June, WardsAuto interviewed Lexus general manager Mark Templin about the CT 200h, and found out some interesting details:

“It really is a good car for moving people into luxury for the first time,” he says.

The median buyer age for the Lexus CT is 53, below the brand’s median age of 59, the auto maker says. The hatchback’s buyers have a median annual household income of $150,000, more than the $100,000 bracket originally forecast.

Although Lexus did not plan to offer anything smaller than the CT compact 5-door in the U.S., Templin, noting the car’s success, now says there is a “possibility to build other vehicles off that platform” to grow sales to new, younger luxury buyers.

The “possibility to build other vehicles off [the CT] platform” is expectedly vague — the CT is built off the same platform as the Toyota Prius, could this mean a Lexus Prius V in the future? Is Mark Templin simply referring to additional powertrains for the CT?

It brings to mind the now-classic GoAuto interview with Lexus Australia marketing manager Peter Evans:

Another likely unveil for [the Paris Auto Show in September] is a hot hatch variant of the CT200h and Mr Evans revealed its arrival is “a matter of when rather than if – or rather when and what because there are a few alternatives”.

Using the 200-hp, 2.5L 4-cylinder hybrid engine from the ES 300h to create a CT 300h seems like a good plan to me, but maybe I’m not thinking big enough — what would you like to see Lexus do with the CT?

courtesy of lexusenthusiast.com