(March 8, 2010) After long insisting that a compact car was not in Lexus' U.S. product plans, Toyota officials last week confirmed that the CT 200h hybrid hatchback, unveiled at the Genevea Auto Show last week, will be sold in the United States by early next year, Automotive News reports.

A concept version was unveiled at the Tokyo auto show in October, but Toyota executives said then that such a vehicle would not come to America any time soon. At the time, Lexus executives in the United States said they were pleading with Japan to bring the vehicle to the United States.

Production of the CT 200h will begin by the end of 2010 for all markets, the company said.

The hybrid will team a 1.8-liter gasoline engine with the Toyota hybrid system to deliver "2.0-liter performance with class-leading CO2 emissions," the company said.

But while some automakers are equipping alternative-fueled vehicles with lithium ion batteries, the Lexus will stick with a nickel-metal hydride battery pack.

The hatchback will feature "relaxed" and "dynamic" driving modes, as well as an "EV mode" that allows about one mile of zero-emission travel at up to 28 mph. Lexus did not provide performance or fuel economy figures.