Toyota C-HR: Compact SUV with plug-in hybrid as a study

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It was just over a year ago that Toyota unveiled its plans to enter the electric car business. The company was late to the party; others have long had such models in their range, and demand proves them right. Toyota, meanwhile, is one of the few to advertise an openness to technology. "We are guided by a simple principle: CO₂ is the enemy, not a particular powertrain," said Dr. Gill Pratt, Chief Scientist of Toyota Motor Corporation and CEO of the Toyota Research Institute. For now, the freedom to offer something apart from battery-electric powertrains is also sold argumentatively with plug-in hybrids. The next C-HR will also be launched as a PHEV.

Drive from the Prius PHEV?

Technically, it should be similar to the Prius PHEV just presented. We therefore assume a system output of around 160 kW. The battery would have 13.6 kWh, which should be enough for 69 km in the aerodynamically favorable Prius in WLTP - a figure that is explicitly not final yet and could still shift upward. In the C-HR, it should still be at least about 60 km in the cycle. Toyota has not yet revealed any technical data about the compact SUV.

Regarding the consumption figures, a categorization: We often criticize plug-in hybrids for three glaring weaknesses: high consumption, short range and lame charging speed. Toyota has proven in the past that they address two of these criticisms with their plug-in hybrid powertrain design. This is because the electric motor here is part of the power split and not an add-on between the combustion engine and transmission. As is well known, this makes the drive comparatively economical. In the much larger RAV4 PHEV, we arrived at a pure power consumption of a minimum of around 21 kWh/100 km - not many PHEVs manage that. The more compact C-HR should undercut this again and thus be one of the most economical PHEV SUVs.

Study close to series production

Visually, the near-production study that Toyota is now showing does not depart from the basic line of its predecessor. The rear doors are still concealed, and the rear window is slightly flatter. Huge wheels with tires that have only a low flank height are due to the taste of the time. The vertical two-tone paint finish is striking: the rear is black with orange accents. The visual contrast of the C-pillar is reminiscent of the Kia Niro. Instead of exterior mirrors, the C-HR has cameras that deliver their recordings to screens in the dashboard.

Prices likely to rise sharply

The production model of the Toyota C-HR is expected to be launched in Europe at the end of next year. Customers can expect prices to rise significantly compared to the current model due to the PHEV concept. Toyota currently sells the C-HR officially from 31,990 euros, while new cars and

one-day registrations are sometimes traded for less than 28,000 euros on the major car exchanges. In return, customers get a hybrid SUV that, at 4.4  meters, is about as long as a Skoda Karoq (driving review) and comparatively economical with driving energy. That is, with both fuel and electricity.

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Toyota C-HR (10 Bilder)

Toyota wants to be completely climate-neutral in Europe by 2040. Toyota promises that all new cars in the EU will be emission-free by 2035. At first glance, this does not seem particularly ambitious, because after 2035, new internal combustion vehicles will no longer be eligible for registration in the EU. But Toyota is possibly pushing a different agenda despite its propagated openness to technology. Because if you interpret the term "emission-free" literally, it not only means CO₂-free operation of a car, but also includes the remaining exhaust gases. Whether Toyota's approach goes that far remains to be seen.

(mfz)