In our market, the compact crossover hype has been suddenly taken over by Honda’s HRV while Mazda’s CX3 is almost imminent. Nissan hasn’t released the Qashqai here which I think is quite cute in some ways and does appeal to a certain market, Toyota has been absent not in terms of having an offering, but one that is stylish as I think the Rush is kinda like a square box.
Now Toyota has released the C-HR concept car and my, is it absolutely beautiful. It’s curves feels at home compared to their disastrous Prius. The Toyota C-HR concept is meant to be a stylish and compact hybrid crossover, has been updated with the intention of launching a mass-market version in the not-so-distant future. I really do hope it will come sooner especially to our shores here.
The Toyota C-HR Concept was created to explore new directions for compact crossovers in an increasingly homogenous marketplace, and made its first appearance at the 2014 Paris Motor Show as a design study.
The concept is visually distinctive, thanks to its expressive diamond-inspired styling, packed full of eye-catching details that have been sculpted and chamfered to represent the facetted surfaces of a precision-cut gemstone. The vehicle builds on two key elements of Toyota’s design language―Keen Look and Under Priority―to create a bold, emphatic front profile that emphasizes the lower grille as well as increasing aerodynamic performance, cooling, and pedestrian safety.
The updated concept represents a step toward commercialization, with changes such as the shift from a three-door to a five-door format made from a practicality standpoint. Additionally, the roof colour scheme has been changed from a two-tone (blue and black) to a uniform glossy black colour scheme.
The Toyota C-HR Concept makes use of the Toyota New Global Architecture (TNGA), an integrated development program for vehicle platforms and powertrain components. TNGA will enable Toyota to create vehicles with improved chassis rigidity, handling stability, and comfort. Additionally, Toyota aims to give the concept an engine with thermal efficiency of over 40 percent, as well as further improving fuel efficiency by making the hybrid system―including the motor and battery―smaller and more lightweight.
