Toyota C-HR hits one million sales in Europe
- Toyota’s innovative SUV reaches landmark sales in less than nine years
- Distinctive coupe-like silhouette and sharp styling continue to attract new customers to the Toyota brand
- Current second generation model, designed, developed and manufactured in Europe
- New plug-in hybrid Toyota C-HR has accelerated Toyota’s European PHEV sales
The pioneering Toyota C-HR is on course to reach the milestone of one million European sales by the end of the year, highlighting its position as a best-seller and brand icon for Toyota across the region. Its UK market performance has yielded more than 136,000 sales to date.
Launched in 2016, the Toyota C-HR has been a landmark model for Toyota, attracting a new style-conscious audience to the brand with its unconventional design, fun-to-drive character and premium quality. It set a new styling benchmark in the European C-SUV segment with its sharp-edged look evoking the dynamic lines of a sports coupe.
Its distinctive appearance has helped change perceptions of Toyota in Europe, giving the brand stronger emotional appeal. More than half of customers cite the car’s styling as their principal reason for purchase, helping make the Toyota C-HR Toyota’s top model for attracting first-time customers to the brand.
Through its two generations, the Toyota C-HR has maintained a strong sales performance and is one of Toyota’s most popular products. The introduction of a plug-in hybrid version in the second generation line-up in summer 2024 contributed significantly to a 93 per cent year-on-year increase in Toyota’s European PHEV sales.
The second-generation Toyota C-HR benefits from local design, engineering and production, with the specialist teams at Toyota’s Technical Centre in Zaventem, near Brussels, applying innovative techniques including analysis of real-time data from drivers across the continent.
The Toyota C-HR’s coupe silhouette has always been a stand-out hallmark of its design and in the second generation model the look is further emphasised a wider, more confident stance, sharp character lines and sophisticated design execution. True to the vision of a ‘concept car for the road’, the new Toyota C-HR delivers a customer focused experience with (according to model grade) premium features such as flush door handles, interior ambient lighting with 64 colour options and a panoramic roof with an advanced coating that avoids the need for a sunshade.
The plug-in hybrid model delivers the effortless, smooth driving of an electric vehicle with a range of up to 41 miles (WLTP combined), and when used exclusively on city or urban streets, it achieves an equivalent all-electric range of around 60 miles (WTLP EAER City) depending on exact specifications. The plug-in hybrid has a dual character, switching automatically to hybrid mode when the battery charge is depleted. This gives drivers the reassurance and flexibility of Toyota’s class-leading hybrid technology and ensuring efficiency is maintained on every journey.
In keeping with its local focus – and in a Toyota first – the PHEV batteries are manufactured in Europe, at Toyota Motor Manufacturing Turkey’s Sakarya plant, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year.
Alongside the plug-in hybrid, the UK range offers two hybrid powertrains, demonstrating Toyota’s multi-path technology approach towards securing carbon neutrality: a 1.8 litre offering 138bhp/140 DIN hp and 142Nm maximum torque; and, for those wanting more power and dynamic performance, a 2.0-litre with 193bhp/197 DIN hp and 190Nm torque.
The new Toyota C-HR builds on the engaging handling of the original, and there is no compromise on driving dynamics thanks to updated Toyota New Generation Architecture (TNGA) which delivers higher torsional rigidity and reduced vehicle mass. Precision aerodynamics delivers a drag co-efficient of 0.318, achieved through reduced frontal area and refinement of the body shape, including the underbody, to optimise air flow. For the first time on a Toyota vehicle worldwide, the plug-in hybrid and GR Sport models feature ZF frequency sensitive control (FSC) technology to enhance handling and ride comfort.
Beyond its class-leading efficiency on the road, the Toyota C-HR further reduces its environmental impact through the introduction of recycled materials and the application of advanced technologies to reduce vehicle weight and cut CO2 emissions during production.
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