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2024 Toyota C-HR: New model will be hybrid only

Toyota has confirmed the second-generation C-HR small SUV will be offered exclusively in hybrid form, with petrol-only engines ditched

2024 Toyota C Hr Rendering Whichcar Australia 01
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June: New C-HR unveiled!

Euro-built second-gen C-HR small SUV here next year with two hybrids – including an all-wheel-drive GR Sport flagship. Details at the story below.

The story to here

The 2024 Toyota C-HR will become the brand's first vehicle to ditch petrol power in its next generation.

Snapshot

  • 2024 Toyota C-HR to go hybrid-only in Australia
  • Plug-in hybrid set to be offered in Europe, but unlikely for Australia
  • Next-generation small SUV due here in the first half of 2024

While the Prius small car was a hybrid pioneer, the second-generation C-HR will become Toyota's first 'traditional' vehicle to be offered without an internal combustion-only powertrain in Australia.

Toyota Australia has confirmed it will arrive in the first half of 2024, with a global debut expected in the coming months.

2024 Toyota C Hr Rendering Whichcar Australia 02 Copy
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Above: 2024 Toyota C-HR speculative rendering

The first-generation C-HR – launched in Australia in 2017 – arrived with a 1.2-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine, while a 1.8-litre petrol-electric hybrid system (borrowed from the Corolla) joined the range when it was facelifted in 2019.

It will follow the Sienna multi-purpose vehicle and Venza/Harrier medium SUV, which recently switched to hybrid-only powertrains – but neither is offered in Australia.

In Europe, the upcoming C-HR will be offered in regular parallel hybrid or plug-in hybrid form; however, only the former is confirmed for Australia, with the PHEV – a competitor to the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross – looking unlikely.

Wheels Reviews 2021 Toyota C HR GR Sport Feverish Red Dynamic Front Road Drive
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"The decision also reflects the ever-increasing customer demand for hybrid vehicles, with Australian customers purchasing a record 72,815 electrified Toyotas in 2022, representing 31.5 per cent of the brand's overall sales," said Toyota Australia.

In late 2022, Toyota unveiled the Toyota C-HR Prologue concept to preview the second-generation model, showcasing an evolved design inspired by the latest Prius, BZ4x and Crown.

It debuted alongside the all-electric BZ Compact concept, which is expected to slot between the C-HR and BZ4x in Toyota’s lineup, potentially badged BZ3x.

Toyota B Z Compact SUV Concept 001 Scaled
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Toyota's local arm has announced it will offer three all-electric vehicles in Australia in the next three years, including the soon-to-launch BZ4x medium SUV – but hybrid technology is still the main focus.

Following the BZ4x, Toyota Australia is tipped to confirm the production version of the BZ Compact SUV concept for our market, and another electric vehicle due within the next three years.

It forecasts more than half of its sales will be electrified by 2025, but – although no breakdown was offered with that forecast – this is expected to be made up mostly of hybrid options for popular vehicles, such as the RAV4, Corolla, Corolla Cross, Kluger, Camry and Yaris Cross – and the hybrid-only C-HR.

2023 Toyota Prius 03
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Under the skin, the second-generation C-HR is believed to be closely related to the next-generation Prius. It is underpinned by the latest version of the TNGA platform, with a more powerful 1.8-litre hybrid, a 2.0-litre hybrid from the Corolla Cross, and a newly-developed 2.0-litre plug-in hybrid.

The plug-in hybrid Prius features a 13.6kWh lithium-ion battery with an estimated 60-kilometre electric-only driving range.

The 2024 Toyota C-HR will arrive in Australia in the first half of 2024, with more details expected when it debuts later this year.

Wheels Reviews 2021 Toyota C HR GR Sport Feverish Red Dynamic Rear Road Drive
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VFACTs new-car sales data reveals 7977 examples were sold in Australia in 2022, placing it eighth in the small SUV segment behind the MG ZS (22,466), Mazda CX-30 (13,891), Mitsubishi ASX (12,753), Hyundai Kona (11,538), Subaru XV (9090), Kia Seltos (8504) and GWM Haval Jolion (8217).

The hybrid powertrain accounted for 44.1 per cent of C-HR sales in 2022, split between the Koba (84 per cent) and GR Sport (16 per cent) grades.

It is forecasted to be outsold by the recently-launched Corolla Cross this year, with the larger vehicle offering greater practicality, a broader range of hybrid options, and conventional styling.

First launched in Australia in 2017, the Toyota C-HR range expanded in Australia with the addition of a hybrid powertrain in 2019, and a sportier hybrid-only GR Sport a year later.

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