Toyota C-HR 2017 News

About 4886 examples of the C-HR compact SUV have been called back over a possible Electronic Parking Brake (EPB) fault.

Toyota Australia's divisional manager sales, Sean Hanley has confirmed three new hybrid models will be added to the brand's local line-up by 2020.

Toyota has revealed its new C-HR Hy-Power Concept and billed it as a “significant and strategic future development of high-performance hybrid options” that will be officially revealed early in 2018.

The Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) has awarded Toyota's C-HR a maximum five-star safety rating, which coincides with the new model arriving in local showrooms this week.

The Toyota C-HR compact crossover has rolled into Australian showrooms priced from $26,900 before on-road costs and is set to take on the big hitters in its burgeoning segment.

Swoopy new Toyota C-HR small SUV will come to Australia in two grades from next January.

Long-awaited sub-RAV4 Toyota SUV to arrive in Australia in early 2017.

Supercars stole the limelight this year but the surge of small SUVs was the news behind the hype.

Toyota is putting the finishing touches on its entry into the booming city-sized SUV segment.The Toyota C-HR concept unveiled at the 2014 Paris motor show looks like a spaceship, but the production version is just weeks away from being unveiled at the Geneva auto salon ahead of an Australian showroom arrival this time next year.As the saying goes, when you’re last in, you better be best dressed.Reports out of Europe say the production version of the Toyota C-HR will be made in Turkey and come with a choice of turbo petrol or hybrid power.However, vehicles destined for Australia are expected to be made in Japan and come exclusively with an all-new 1.2-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine (85kW/185Nm) that was recently introduced in the UK version of the Corolla.The high-riding hatchback is also expected to be available with a choice of six-speed manual transmission or CVT auto.Overseas reports say the Toyota C-HR will stay true to its daring design, although imagine the concept car with smaller wheels and more realistic headlights and tail-lights.Pricing is a year away from being announced, but class rivals such as the Mazda CX-3 and Honda HR-V are typically priced between $20,000 and $30,000.Australians are on track to buy more SUVs than passenger carsToyota may be the biggest seller of SUVs in Australia but it has been conspicuously absent in the fastest-growing segment of the new-car market globally.High-riding hatchbacks are fast catching sales of regular passenger cars as buyers embrace their taller driving position, ease of getting in and out, and roomier cargo areas.If sales of SUVs continue at their current rate, Australians are on track to buy more SUVs than passenger cars for the first time in our motoring history.Official new-car sales figures for January show the gap between passenger cars and SUVs is the closest it has ever been.Passenger car sales were down by 11.5 per cent while demand for SUVs surged by 19.5 per cent.If the trend continues, SUVs could overtake passenger cars by the end of 2016.Just 2141 sales separated the two vehicle types last month (35,214 versus 33,073); this time last year the gap between the two biggest categories was six times greater.

Toyota realises it must have an entrant in the small SUV segment and this is a close representation of what to expect within the next year or two. It will share Prius C underpinnings with a new specifically designed chassis.As to which powertrains will be offered it's all speculation but they will certainly be shared with other Toyota products. The C-HR fits in underneath the current RAV4 and will be priced accordingly. But the car has been a long time coming with competitors already on the menu offering crackerjack small SUVs... and more are on the on the way this year.Competition right now centres on Ford Ecosport, Holden Trax, Nissan Qashqai and the Subaru XV with Renault's striking Captur only weeks away.Toyota Australia spokesman Mike Breen says "We don't have a model that competes in that segment. We're always looking to compete in all segments."  "It would be below RAV. It's heading in the right direction." Toyota has dominated the SUV sector in Australia since the arrival of the original LandCruiser. It opens with RAV and runs through to the heavyweight LandCruiser. The name comes from the C segment for compact cars, H for hybrid and R for crossover.The styling of the C-HR takes cues from the 86 sports car and Dakar racers, so is unlikely to survive untouched for production. But, typically for Toyota, it will tour the global motor show circuit to get input from potential buyers.Breen confirms that the C-HR is another project with the personal support of Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda.