- Toyota Europe could be expanding its SUV line-up;
- This new SUV would fight with the Nissan Kicks and Hyundai Venue;
- Nothing is confirmed as of yet.
In 2020, the question is no longer whether SUVs are here to stay, but rather when manufacturers will be satisfied. Over the seasons, the industry giants have multiplied their offerings to the point where it is difficult to navigate. And this trend is not likely to slow down anytime soon.
At Toyota, for example, the smallest utility vehicle currently is the C-HR, a front-wheel-drive crossover that rivals the Honda HR-V and Hyundai Kona, to name a few. However, Toyota could be tempted to join Nissan and Hyundai, which have recently launched the Kicks and the Venue, two pocket crossovers based on subcompact car platforms.
The British magazine Auto Express even suggests that Toyota could use its new European Yaris to develop a smaller and more affordable SUV than the C-HR, precisely to fight against subcompact models.
Matt Harrison, vice president of the European wing of Toyota, confirmed that the C-HR was not the kind of vehicle that adequately covered the needs of this niche of subcompact crossovers. In other words, there is still room within the Toyota range.
However, it should be mentioned that even if Toyota authorizes the development of such a model for the European market, that does not mean that the North American management will approve the arrival of the vehicle on this side of the Atlantic. Let’s remember that Toyota ended the reign of the Yaris hatchback in 2019 – the one that was assembled in France -, the subcompact was replaced by a new five-door Yaris assembled at the Mexican Mazda plant. Just like the Yaris sedan in service since 2016, the new Yaris hatchback is based on the Mazda2… with a Toyota front end and badges of course!
So, it would be very surprising if Toyota added a pocket crossover to its North American lineup, a vehicle that would need to be homologated for our territory. But hey, we can always dream of an SUV smaller than the C-HR.
