The Geneva, Switzerland Auto Show turned 80 this year and as expected, the theme was green. Full details can be found at the official address (here) and with more than 10,000 global media reporters in attendance - you can’t hide from the coverage.

Roughly 100 vehicles are making their world premieres at this show, which is a record in itself. They range from outlandish concept vehicles to unconventional and totally unexpected combinations of brand and drive train. HY-KERS! There is even a ”hybrid Ferrari” that gets nearly 15 mpg (here).

Amid all the car models and super models, one vehicle that caught our eye in making its debut at the 2010 show was the Lexus CT 200h. As you can see from the picture (above, right), this hybrid combines element from the small sport utility crosssover and hatchback segments. No, it is not just a fancy station wagon. Lexus prefers to call it the first and only premium compact hybrid (not to be confused with their HS 250h which Lexus points out is the world’s first dedicated luxury hybrid).

You might recall the LF-CH concept vehicle (left) that Lexus first showed off only six months ago at the Frankfurt Motor Show (autoblog). Well, the CT 200h is what became of that initial unveiling - and a year from now, you could be driving one. How’s that for moving quickly?

Under its hood, the hybrid CT200h will stow a 1.8 liter in-line 4 alongside a high-output electric motor. Total horsepower will be around 134 with four driving modes to choose from (EV, ECO, Normal, and Sport). It sounds promising that the 200h will find its way to the United States as well, but at what cost you might ask? While no price has been released by Toyota officials, rumors have it coming in somewhere between $27,000 and $32,000. Based on its size, we can also expect that Prius like economy nearing 50 MPG wouldn’t be a stretch - unless you’re stuck in Sport mode.

More Resources:

Lexus CT 200h Premium Compact Hybrid press release here.
USA Today CT200h article from Geneva Motor Show includes photo gallery.
egmCarTech - CT 200h high resolution images.