Toyota prepping hybrid compact SUV
Prius to gain crossover cousin as Toyota gets set to reveal C-HR hybrid at Detroit showToyota already has a three-model Prius family – and a host of other hybrid models – but the Japanese giant's petrol-electric family looks set to expand further with a hybrid compact SUV.
Sources close to Toyota say the world's biggest car-maker will reveal a hybrid version of its C-HR compact crossover concept at the Detroit motor show in January.
The C-HR was first seen in three-door form at the 2014 Paris show and then in five-door form at Frankfurt in September, when we reported Toyota Australia was keen to offer the production version here after it debuts at the Geneva show in March.
As this unofficial rendering suggests, the production version will not be as adventurous as the C-HR concept, but will share design cues with the Prius.
News of the C-HR hybrid concept confirms the all-new sub-RAV4 small SUV will join Toyota's growing hybrid range, which includes the pioneering Prius (the fourth generation of which arrives here early next year), the Prius c light hatch, Prius v people-mover and Camry Hybrid.
Toyota also sells a range of other non-Prius hybrids in other markets, including the RAV4 Hybrid, but the mid-size petrol-electric SUV won't be sold in Australia, where only around 2000 Prius models have been sold this year.
It remains to be seen whether Toyota's newest hybrid will be sold here – and whether it wears the Prius badge – but conventionally powered versions of the all-new, as-yet-unnamed compact SUV are certain to be offered Down Under, where it will be a late arrival in Australia's fastest growing vehicle segment.
Because of its compact size, the C-HR's main markets will be Europe and Japan, but we understand it will also be sold in the US.
Standard versions – including those sold here – are expected to be powered by Toyota's new 1.2-litre turbo-petrol unit, which produces 85kW of power and an impressive 185Nm of torque.
The C-HR based hybrid, meantime, should emerge with the same upgraded 1.8-litre petrol-electric powertrain as the new Prius, which combines 72kW of petrol power with 53kW of battery power.
Driving though a CVT auto, total system power will be 90kW, which is around 10kW less than the current Prius, but Toyota attributes the reduction to the way its Japanese engineers rate hybrid outputs,
Image: Best Car
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