New Toyota C-HR confirmed for 26 June launch

Toyota has teased the next-generation Toyota C-HR ahead of its official launched on 26 June, sporting a bumper-width rear light bar and illuminated rear logo. 

Said by the Japanese firm to be an "edgy" and "sophisticated", the thoroughly overhauled compact SUV is primed to take on the likes of the Nissan Juke and Kia Niro, moving upmarket by adding a plug-in hybrid powertrain to its ranks.

Recent images of the car testing on public roads look to show the final production version, the design of which should represent a radical departure from the current car.

Due on sale by 2024, the Mk2 C-HR will be a close sibling to the new Toyota Prius, underpinned by the same TNGA platform and offered with the same mix of parallel-hybrid and plug-in hybrid powertrains.

The latter will be a variation of the Prius’s PHEV set-up, pairing a 147bhp 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine with a 158bhp electric motor on the front axle for a combined 221bhp. That's a 40bhp boost over the current (2.0-litre parallel-hybrid) C-HR.

Should the C-HR also borrow the Prius’s 13.6kWh battery (a likelihood to exploit economies of scale and cut costs), a 50-mile electric-only range may be within reach.

The parallel-hybrid powertrain will be an uprated variant of the 2.0-litre which features in the current C-HR, expected to boost economy above 50mpg and provide a small power uplift to 191bhp.

Alongside the technical reinvention, the C-HR will be restyled with a focus on the new-look 'Hammerhead' front-end design being rolled out across the line-up to give Toyota cars a common identity.

The darkened teaser image hides just how closely related to the concept the production car will be, but clearly the distinctive C-shaped headlights and that wraparound rear light bar will make it through to showrooms.