Toyota has just introduced a concept model dubbed the Toyota C-HR Prologue. It is a prototype whose lines and design very faithfully advance the next iteration of the Toyota C-HR, a model whose current generation we have recently discussed.
As the brand itself has revealed, and as we previously pointed out, the new generation of the Toyota C-HR will hit the streets between the end of 2023 and the beginning of 2024. Based on this, and given that the model that concerns us today is still conceptual, the production of the Toyota C-HR should be revealed months before its commercial launch, just like the Toyota bZ4x.
Although Toyota has shown this model conceptually, the C-HR Prologue very faithfully advances the main design features of the production SUV. From the design of the model shown, it is clear that Toyota has not wanted to change the formula that has given its hybrid SUV so many successes.
It is a relatively young model since its commercialization only began in 2016, and since then it has been able to put more than one and a half million units on the streets around the world. For this reason, it has retained the proportions of the body of the previous model, which wandered between the forms of a four-door coupe and an SUV, all accentuated with aggressive lines and vertices, especially in its rear.
Although the production model will undergo some changes concerning the prototype whose images accompany these lines, it will almost certainly retain the design and proportions of the headlights and its entire front, the volumes of its body, and even a large part of the design of its area. rear.
On its way to the Toyota production lines, the model will, however, lose elements such as the rear-view mirrors with cameras, the huge wheels, and some textures typical of a prototype, such as the material of its rear diffuser.
The access doors to the rear row of seats will also change, which now have no handles and have a very small glass surface compared to the front ones. Based on previous leaks, however, it seems that the two-tone finished bodywork will be retained for its front and rear sections.
It should be noted that the C-HR is an SUV that has been designed from the outset as a model for the European market. For this reason, the C-HR will be launched in both conventional hybrid (or “self-recharging” hybrid, as Toyota refers to these variants) and plug-in hybrid versions.
It is expected that it will be offered with the same mechanical configuration as the new Toyota Prius, which articulates its power train around a 2-liter displacement engine and a 15.5 kWh battery to offer 223 hp of total power and an range in 100% electric mode close to 80 kilometers. Yes, the brand has confirmed that the batteries of the new C-HR will be manufactured in Europe.
Being designed with the European market in mind, it may be surprising that the new C-HR will not have an electric version. Toyota has explained it, and it is because in this segment the brand will have another model specifically designed as an electric car, the Toyota bZ3.
