2024 Toyota C-HR hybrid small SUV design takes shape as new Mazda CX-30 and Mitsubishi ASX rival approaches reveal

A new version of one of Australia’s most popular hybrid cars is coming, and it’s ditching its full-combustion version completely.

Japanese outlet Best Car has been reporting on insider leaks for the C-HR since the concept was revealed by Toyota, and now says it expects the model to make its global debut in September this year, slightly earlier than the late-year reveal initially expected.

Along with this, it’s created a digital render which shows off what it expects the C-HR to look like, presumably based on a mix of insider information and the concept model Toyota has already revealed.

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The model will be available in both traditional hybrid and a plug-in hybrid form, though Toyota Australia has already confirmed only the hybrid will arrive, so the C-HR’s plug-in won’t land Down Under.

It makes sense, as Toyota’s series-parallel hybrids are incredibly popular (the top 8 hybrids in 2022 were all Toyota and Lexus models), but Australians haven’t quite embraced plug-ins as much, choosing to go straight to full-BEV for anything that requires a cable.

Toyota Australia VP for Sales and Marketing Sean Hanley confirmed the model holds an important place in the line-up, and will arrive here in the “coming years”.

"The current C-HR was embraced by customers for its bold styling and unique small SUV packaging, and the concept vision for the next generation C-HR takes that to an even higher level," Hanley said.

"We are looking forward to the reveal of the final production version and introducing it to the Australian market.”

Toyota Australia has already confirmed only the hybrid will arrive in local showrooms. (image credit: Best Car)

He also said Toyota's "sales share from electrified vehicles will jump to more than 50 per cent [of Toyota's sales] by 2025, and possibly quite a bit higher". In 2022, Toyota sold 72,815 hybrid cars.

The C-HR’s sales are down this year from where they were at the same time last year, though the difference is, perhaps not coincidentally, about the same as the number of sales chalked up by the Toyota Corolla Cross this year.

In all of 2022, Toyota sold 3517 hybrid C-HRs and 1984 hybrid Corolla Crosses.