Toyota has confirmed there will be no petrol-only version of the next-generation Toyota C-HR small SUV when it’s revealed later this year.
Expected to land in Australia in early 2024, the next Toyota C-HR “will be offered exclusively with a hybrid powertrain”, as its sales of hybrid models continues to catch up to that of its petrol counterparts.
Expect to see a four-cylinder engine as the series-parallel hybrid, with the 1.2-litre turbocharged engine being discontinued, plus we now know a plug-in variant is also on the way.
But the brand’s local arm “currently has no plans to introduce the PHEV variant to the Australian market”.
While it’s not completely off the cards, the popularity of Toyota’s standard series-parallel hybrids is so great that that’s where the brand is most likely to focus in its efforts to “lower the carbon footprint of its vehicles”.
“The current C-HR was embraced by customers for its bold styling and unique small SUV packaging and the concept vision for the next-generation C-HR takes that to an even higher level,” Toyota Australia VP of Sales and Marketing Sean Hanley said recently.
“We are looking forward to the reveal of the final production version and introducing it to the Australian market.”
He said Toyota’s “sales share from electrified vehicles will jump more than 50 per cent by 2025, and possibly quite a bit higher”.
Toyota’s hybrid cars made up 31.5 per cent of its 2022 sales, 72,815 out of 231,050.
Pricing is quite some time away, but expect it to nudge noticeably higher than the current generation’s non-hybrid starting point.
Current Toyota C-HR pricing in Australia starts at $30,915 before on-road costs for the base GXL, up to $37,665 each for its top spec Koba and GR Sport variants, both with the 1.8-litre hybrid powertrain.
Keyword: ICE freeze! 2024 Toyota C-HR Hybrid line-up confirmed for Australia ahead of redesigned Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross, Volkswagen T-Roc and Honda HR-V rival's reveal