Currently reading: Toyota launches China-only electric C-HR
China's first electric Toyota shares a platform with the Corolla and will go on sale in 2020

Toyota has revealed an electric variant of its Toyota C-HR compact SUV exclusively for the Chinese market.

Unveiled at the Shanghai motor show alongside the identical Izoa, which will be produced by Chinese company FAW, the C-HR EV will go on sale in 2020. 

The new model, first announced at the Beijing motor show last year, is the first electric Toyota to become available in China, and the first to use the firm’s new TNGA platform as featured on the new Toyota Corolla.

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Performance and powertrain details are unconfirmed, but subtle styling revisions such as the absence of a front grille differentiate the new EV from its conventionally fuelled sibling. 

The unveiling is the first step in Toyota’s plan to introduce 10 electrified models in China over the next five years, in line with Chinese government requirements for manufacturers to electrify a percentage of their line-ups. 

The C-HR is sold in the UK with conventional petrol and petrol-electric hybrid powertrains.

Last month Toyota unveiled Chinese-market plug-in hybrid variants of the Corolla and FAW-built Levin, which joined the electric C-HR on Toyota’s Shanghai stand, alongside the Rhombus - a futuristic EV urban EV designed by Chinese firm TMEC. 

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Moritaka Yoshida, Toyota executive vice-president, spoke of the firm’s intentions to use the Chinese market as a testbed for new hydrogen-fuelled vehicles. “Since 2017, Toyota has been conducting demonstration tests with the Mirai in China," he said. "We are considering the local introduction of other fuel cell vehicles such as the FC Coaster.” 

The car maker plans to sell 5.5 million electrified vehicles worldwide by 2030. 

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Felix Page
Title: News and features editor

Felix is Autocar's news editor, responsible for leading the brand's agenda-shaping coverage across all facets of the global automotive industry - both in print and online.

He has interviewed the most powerful and widely respected people in motoring, covered the reveals and launches of today's most important cars, and broken some of the biggest automotive stories of the last few years. 

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Antony Riley 17 April 2019

Electric C-HR

Sonic Not sure your correct in stating Toyota   have been mocking EV,s considering they   have been selling  Hybrid  electric for years. Mind it just shows that within a very short period of time all manufactures are going  into  part and full electric ,hope our power stations can cope here in the UK  with all that extra juice needed !

Sonic 16 April 2019

Where's the self-charging petrol tank?

Toyota spent many millions of dollars on a worldwide ad campaign to mock EV's... And then they launch a new EV. Money well spent.
Will86 16 April 2019

Batteries

The side cill has been lowered compared to the UK spec versions so it looks like the floor has been altered to accommodate the batteries. Looks a bit odd to me and I wonder how much weight they've added. Still, should drive nicely and if it has a decent range, maybe Toyota will role it out elsewhere.