Toyota plays the sustainability card in the compact SUV segment, the market phenomenon of the moment. The new C-HR adopts the hybrid powertrain from the Prius saloon. Fuel consumption and emissions on a par with a city car.
The horizon of mobility is clear: barring technological breakthroughs as revolutionary as they are unexpected, the future is tied to electric propulsion. Initially combined with conventional powertrains, as in the case of hybrid, plug-in hybrid and range-extended cars, and subsequently free to express itself in a "pure" form by harnessing batteries, fuel cells (and therefore hydrogen) or solar charging, with autonomous driving as a corollary. This is the picture for the next twenty to thirty years. No less important, however, is the present, marked by the boom in compact SUVs and crossovers. A context in which sustainability can take centre stage thanks to brands such as Toyota, the world's largest manufacturer, which are betting on hybrid propulsion.
The Japanese manufacturer enters the compact crossover segment with the new C-HR, boasting sporty lines and refined mechanics. Under the bodywork sits either a modern direct-injection 1.2 turbo petrol engine producing 116 hp, or the Prius powertrain — that is, the propulsion system from the world's best-selling hybrid saloon. The combination of a 1.8 16V four-cylinder inline Atkinson-cycle petrol engine and an electric motor delivers a combined output of 122 hp, transmitted to the front wheels via a continuously variable transmission. A solution that promises an average fuel consumption of 27 km/l and CO2 emissions of under 90 g/km. Figures more in keeping with a small city car than an SUV, helped by the 40 per cent efficiency of the combustion unit — one of the most favourable figures in the world.
Set to debut before the end of 2016, the C-HR stands out from the mass of crossovers because it treats sustainability not as a mere afterthought but as a founding principle. A key pillar that Toyota has reinforced by focusing on compact dimensions — so as to reduce weight and, consequently, fuel consumption — and on the new TNGA architecture (Toyota New Global Architecture) which, thanks to the use of compact machinery during production, delivers a significant energy saving compared with the standard. Sustainability is furthermore affirmed in the broader sense: on the one hand through a decidedly "grassroots" launch campaign — a kind of electoral tour of Italy's major cities inspired by American political campaigns and called King of The Flow — and on the other through a comprehensive safety package that anticipates certain technologies normally associated with autonomous driving. The Toyota Safety Sense system is fitted as standard and includes autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian detection, road sign recognition, unintentional lane departure warning, adaptive cruise control — for maintaining a constant speed and distance from the vehicle ahead — as well as automatic high-beam management.
In thirty years' time we will be travelling in electric vehicles, almost certainly self-driving. The commitment to sustainability, however, cannot be postponed. Even while embracing the phenomenon of the moment — SUVs and crossovers — it is possible to respect the environment and consume little more fuel than a city car. The new Toyota C-HR hybrid is one answer to these expectations.