Staying true to its unusually aggressively-styled concept origins, the new 2024 Toyota C-HR has been unveiled ahead of its already confirmed Australian launch in a little over six months.
Set for a Q1 2024 arrival, the C-HR will be available with hybrid drivetrains only when it arrives in Australia, though pricing and the specifics of the three variants offered are yet to be confirmed.
What we do know is the CH-R will come with two hybrid drivetrain options – a 1.8-litre front-wheel-drive version with 103kW and an all-wheel-drive version with a larger 2.0-litre engine making 145kW.
The front-wheel-drive version will power the GXL and Koba variants, and the top-spec GR Sport variant will be the AWD, higher output hero model.
Both versions will utilise a small 4.08Ah lithium-ion battery as has been used in hybrid versions of Corollas previously.
But what might be most surprising is just how close to its concept car the production version of the C-HR is – its taillight bar even includes illuminated Toyota C-HR logos in the centre.
Toyota calls the ‘sleek’ styling a “concealed tech” approach, which is why – as an example – it’s the first in the brand to come with door handles flush with the body.
The production version is 4360mm long, 1830mm wide and up to 1564mm tall with a 2640mm wheelbase – making it “marginally shorter and wider” than its predecessor, with strikingly short overhangs at each end.
Toyota claims the C-HR will also have twice as much recycled plastic in more than 100 different components of the car compared to its predecessor, including seat fabric made from recycled PET bottles.
The new C-HR does come with a panoramic sunroof, too, but Toyota says there won’t be a sunshade for the small SUV, instead it uses “infra-red-reducing coatings” on the glass roof in an effort to reduce the heating effect inside the cabin.
Inside is where a 12.3-inch multimedia screen is found, with Android Auto and wireless Apple CarPlay alongside a digital instrument cluster – overall its dash isn’t dissimilar to the upcoming Toyota bZ4X electric car.
Keyword: Spaceship styling! 2024 Toyota C-HR revealed as hybrid ready to shake up Australia's small SUV segment