Watch 2018 Toyota C-HR Debut at LA Auto Show

2016 Los Angeles Auto Show
2018 Toyota C-HR Reveal
Los Angeles, Calif.
Thursday, November 17, 2016, 12:45pm
Bill Fay, Group Vice President and General Manager – Toyota Division, Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.

Good afternoon, and welcome! It’s great to have you all here and online via LIVESTREAM on such a special day!

Today we’re going to show you something that is really exciting–that pushes our boundaries. Acting on President Akio Toyoda’s call to make Ever-Better products that are tech-filled, safe and fun to drive.

Our vehicle delivers on this challenge and will better align us with the greater market in 2017 that is quickly shifting toward smaller crossovers. It’s a ride that we’ve been hinting at and, if you recall, a year ago here at the LA Auto Show we debuted its concept under the Scion brand.

The transition of Scion over to Toyota is complete, bringing with it over 13 years of knowledge on how to attract and engage young customers. Scion buyers are staying with us and now view Toyota as an aspirational automotive brand. So, you may be asking yourself, "What is this Ever-Better vehicle?". Allow me to show you.

Say hello to the all-new 2018 Toyota C-HR–a compact crossover that is unrivalled in its breathtaking design, impressive performance and Toyota Safety Sense technology.

As you can see, the C-HR is a bold exercise in design. It looks like nothing we’ve ever created and ushers in a new era of Toyota style. For all of us that’s a point of pride and excitement that will attract fashion-forward consumers.

With the C-HR, we will complete our portfolio of crossovers that already includes the family-friendly Highlander and the young-couple’s RAV4. The C-HR will attract young, active, multi-cultural professionals. It gets us right in sync with the market’s love for compact crossovers. This segment is expected to surpass 1 million units in sales by 2020. Its popularity will be driven by innovative buyers who are interested in technology, fashion, music and everyday versatility. They are trendsetters who have a knack for standing out without even trying. Design matters to them and offers them a chance to express their true selves.

Toyota’s New Global Architecture, or TNGA, allowed the production model C-HR to stay true to the original concept’s form. Our designers took their original diamond theme and ran with it, transforming the shape into a distinctive, sexy, muscular, compact form. The diamond theme permeates throughout. Its silhouette, for example, resembles the iconic gemstone set on its side. 
Powerful wheel arches and 18-inch aluminum wheels accentuate the posture. Up front, slim projector headlights wrap into its toned shoulders. Deep character lines emerge from the headlamps and lead into the narrower core body. They flow into a unique C-Pillar with a hidden door handle.
At the back you’ll notice the C-HR’s tapered body and 3D tail lights. Its functional spoilers and wings give it a sporty vibe. The C-HR looks wider than it is and has an athletic stance. Our teams collaborated on the modern cabin, too. The front space is driver-centric, like you’d find in a sports car. It makes sense as the C-HR’s Deputy Chief Engineer, Hiro Koba, is a racer at heart. Clear evidence of his touch is seen, and felt, by the driver with:

• A low seating position, which emphasizes the low center of gravity
• The premium leather steering wheel
• Bright, informative MID with G-Force Meter

The cabin is spacious and chic, with diamond accents found on the soft-touch materials, climate controls, speaker surrounds and black headliner. But the C-HR not only looks great it drives great.
Koba-san’s team made sure of it. His team developed a new front strut suspension which they matched with a double-wishbone rear setup and thick stabilizer bars. Both front and rear use C-HR-specific SACHS dampers. Also unique: they honed the C-HR’s handling on the iconic Nürburgring. 
These are pieces that were tuned on the racetrack and now are applied on the road in the C-HR. 
Yet, even as they injected sportiness, engineers didn’t forget about ride comfort and overall quietness.

The C-HR is powered by a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine with 144 horsepower and 139 pound-feet of torque. All power is directed to the front wheels via a Continuously Variable Transmission. This powertrain balances fuel efficiency and punchiness and provides linear acceleration when you want it. A Sport Mode and a manual shift mode bump up the C-HR’s performance feel when desired.
Its combination of design and driving experience makes for one very compelling package.When it goes on sale next spring, consumers can choose between XLE and XLE Premium grades.

XLE standard features include:

• 18-inch alloy wheels
• 7-inch Audio display
• Dual-Zone Climate Control
• Power fold and heated mirrors
• 4.2-inch Color TFT
• Leather steering wheel and satin-plated shift knob
• Electric Parking Brake
• Auto-dimming rearview mirror with backup camera
• LED Daytime Running Lights with Halogen Headlamps

While we don’t have one here today, the XLE Premium grade adds:

• Smart Key and Push Button Start
• Blind Spot Monitor and Rear Cross Traffic Alert
• Front Seat Heaters
• “Toyota C-HR” Puddle Lamps
• Driver Power Lumbar
•  Auto Fold, Heated Side Mirrors
• Fog Lamps

We’re excited to announce that Toyota Safety Sense P will be standard on both grades. Toyota Safety Sense, anchored by automatic emergency braking, will be Standard Equipment on nearly all Toyota models well ahead of the NHTSA 2022 industry standard.

Now, before we let you take a closer look on stage here, I’ll leave you with this: the key to crafting Ever-Better vehicles is the passion put into them. They are proactive, not reactive. As is the case with the C-HR, they are compelling machines that broaden our horizons, and in doing so, introduce us to new, passionate buyers. We are pleased to have Koba-san and CALTY Studio Chief Designer, Ian Cartabiano, here to answer any questions you may have following this press conference. 

As a side note, to keep everyone’s music bumping we are giving away these cool C-HR portable speakers.To get one, just snap a picture of the new C-HR, post it to your Facebook, Instagram or Twitter and use the "ToyotaCHR" hashtag. And while you’re at it, go ahead and hashtag BLAU too.

After the press conference we welcome you to stick around for food, drinks and a cool C-HR social experience featuring DJ Blau, right here in the Toyota stand. And now at this time, I would like to ask Koba-san and Ian to join me on stage for a quick photo op. 

Thank you.