When a car meets its expected sales target it’s not normally worth reporting, but considering the flop that was the HS250h (not to mention slumping brand sales in general), Lexus seems on track to meet and even exceed its goal with the new CT200h.

According to the latest figures the CT200h was the third best selling hybrid in the month of July, beating out cars like the Honda Insight, Fusion Hybrid, Escape Hybrid and even the Lexus RX450h. Total sales for the year are listed at 5,321, which puts the car well on track to reach its target of 10,000 units, according to Lexus VP Mark Templin.

It also puts Lexus ahead of rivals BMW an Audi in the compact luxury segment. In the month of July, Audi A3 sales tallied just 436 units for a year-to-date total of 3,803, while sales of the BMW 1 Series fell just short of Lexus with 5,257 units moved after selling 664 models last month.

The numbers don’t tell the whole story, however, as sales of the CT only began in March, with Lexus moving 2,200 of them in that month, “way above our plan” says Lexus PR rep Ming-Jou Chen. According to Chen, sales were also hampered significantly until quite recently due to the production stoppage in Japan as the result of the earthquake and tsunami.

If Lexus is able to keep up its current pace the CT is poised to become one of the best selling hybrids in America. Starting from $29,120 the CT200h is rated at 42-mpg average.