Right now, the Geneva Motor Show would have been in full swing, and even though it has now been cancelled, carmakers have still been busy carrying out their plans, unveiling several production and concept cars over the past few days. The sole exception is Toyota, which has decided to postpone the reveal of its new B-segment SUV, according to Automotive News Europe.
The car was due to make its premiere by now, but a source close to the company said the reveal will now only happen “in the coming weeks or months.” The delay will likely be a blessing for Toyota, as it has already said that the car isn’t actually going on sale for another 12 months.
Its Geneva activities had already been reduced this year, its media briefing event – which involves senior executives – having moved from the eve of the show to January. Toyota also held what was effectively a private motor show in Amsterdam, showcasing the new Mirai hydrogen-powered sedan, the RAV4 Plug-in Hybrid and the fully-electric Lexus UX 300e.
The new small SUV would have been the star of Toyota’s Geneva stand and marked its entry into a booming segment – something the more upmarket, sophisticated and expensive C-HR probably didn’t adequately serve. Figures from market researcher JATO Dynamics showed that 1.9 million of these vehicles were sold in Europe last year, an increase of 20% over 2018 numbers.
Smaller and cheaper than the already petite C-HR, the car should get the same B-segment version of the Toyota New Global Architecture (TNGA) as the European-market Yaris. They will be built at the Valenciennes plant in France and are expected to make up around 30% of Toyota’s European sales volume by 2025.
At launch, the car is expected to be powered by its hatch sibling’s parallel hybrid setup, consisting of a 91 hp/120 Nm 1.5 litre naturally-aspirated three-cylinder engine and a 79 hp/141 Nm permanent magnet synchronous electric motor. It will also be offered with all-wheel drive, rare in the segment.
Toyota expects plenty of orders for the new SUV. “We expect this to be a very successful car. Some cars you look at the styling and it just looks right. This is such a car,” said a Toyota source at the Amsterdam event.
Tags: 2020 Geneva Motor Show
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