The next generation Toyota C-HR small SUV will become the first Toyota passenger vehicle in Australia – excluding the Prius family – available only with hybrid power.
The new 2024 Toyota C-HR will be sold exclusively with hybrid power in Australia when it arrives in local showrooms in the first half of next year.
It will be the first Toyota passenger vehicle outside the Prius family to be offered solely with hybrid power locally.
The decision comes after almost one-third of new Toyotas sold in Australia last year were hybrids, including more than 70 per cent of the mix of RAV4 and Camry demand.
Toyota Australia has confirmed the second-generation C-HR will become the company’s first passenger vehicle locally to drop the option of solely petrol power, in favour of hybrid technology across the range.
Hybrid power accounted for 44 per cent of Toyota C-HR sales last year.
Industry figures show 32 per cent of Toyota vehicles sold last year were hybrids, but when models without the option of hybrid technology are excluded – such as the top-selling HiLux ute and HiAce van – the proportion of hybrids sold by the Japanese car giant locally last year rises to 70 per cent.
Although the new C-HR will be the first Toyota passenger car or SUV in Australia to go hybrid only – excluding the defunct Prius family car – it may not be the first Toyota vehicle outright.
A right-hand-drive version of the Toyota Tundra full-size US pick-up is in development with the sole choice of hybrid V6 power, ahead of expected showroom arrivals some time in late 2023 or early 2024.
All new C-HR models locally will be traditional ‘closed-loop’ hybrids, which do not require recharging. A plug-in hybrid C-HR will be available overseas, however Toyota says it has “no plans” to offer it in Australia.
It remains to be seen if a petrol-only Toyota C-HR will remain available overseas.
MORE: 2024 Toyota Tundra for Australia: Everything we know so far
Toyota Australia has previously announced a target for hybrid and electric cars to account for more than 50 per cent of its sales by 2025 – aided by three new electric vehicles by 2026.
As previously reported, the new Toyota C-HR is set for a bold restyle inspired by a pair of recent concept cars, with styling cues from the latest Prius hybrid that isn’t sold in Australia.
The 2024 Toyota C-HR is due in Australian showrooms in the first half of next year, with more details to be announced closer to launch.
For more details on what’s known so far about the new 2023 Toyota C-HR, click the links below to read Drive’s prior coverage.
MORE: Next Toyota C-HR previewed with concept, coming to Australia
MORE: Toyota confirms there will be a new C-HR once this one bows out
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