Toyota C-HR could launch in India in the near future to compete against Jeep Compass, Volkswagen T-Roc and Skoda Karoq
Toyota Kirloskar Motor has strengthened its domestic portfolio with the facelifted versions of its popular Innova Crysta and Fortuner recently. The partnership with Suzuki has helped in expanding its reach to new segments such as premium hatchback and compact SUV as the Glanza and Urban Cruiser are the rebadged versions of the Maruti Suzuki Baleno and Vitara Brezza respectively.
The Japanese auto major is expected to address more segments with high potential in alliance with Suzuki as a mid-size SUV based on the Raize’s platform and a C-segment MPV are said to be in the works. The brand is reportedly working on a small electric car for India as well. While the rumour mills rumbles on, the spy shots of the undisguised C-HR crossover often comes up on the internet.
The latest spy pictures shows the C-HR being caught on camera testing on Indian roads again and we do expect Toyota to take advantage of the relaxation in homologation rules to bring in the C-HR as a full import. The Vellfire luxury MPV is already doing a handy job in sales and based on the demand, Toyota could locally assemble the C-HR in the near future but no concrete information is known yet.
The crossover appears to have been used by Continental tyres as a test vehicle recently as well. Toyota could test the waters in the premium SUV space with the C-HR as it could be positioned below the Fortuner. The C-HR is underpinned by the modular TNGA (Toyota New Global Architecture) platform and it could compete against the likes of Jeep Compass, VW T-Roc and Skoda Karoq.
The five-seater has an expressive design philosophy and is eccentric from all angles with sharp cuts and creases all along. It can be said as a quirky Toyota with the styling inspired from performance-based cars than family SUVs. The crossover is no short of premium features either as Toyota offers a host of standard safety, connectivity and assistive technologies with it in overseas markets.
It is sold in multiple powertrain choices including a 2.0-litre naturally-aspirated petrol engine producing 144 horsepower and 188 Nm, paired with a CVT auto. A 1.8-litre petrol/hybrid motor shared with the Prius is also available with 122 PS.