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It's fitting that the development work for the new Toyota C-HR was led by the firm's technical centre in Brussels, the de facto capital of Europe. It may be the product of a Japanese manufacturer, but this is a machine that has been developed in Europe, is focused on pleasing European drivers and will be built in Europe.
Eschewing Toyota's previous strategy for 'global cars', the original C-HR was developed to help the brand grow its share in the European market - and it clearly worked. It's Toyota's fourth-best-seller here, helping the firm's rise up the sales charts. Most significantly, it's been by far Toyota's most successful car in winning over new customers: 59% of C-HR drivers switched from another brand.
Key to that success has been how well the C-HR was placed for the European market. Its mix of sharp styling and coupécrossover shape helped it to find a genuinely rare space at the small end of the C-SUV market (think VW T-Roc and Kia Niro) and stood far apart from Toyota's previously stodgy designs, attracting buyers who wanted a bit of edge to their high-riding family runabout.
So Toyota has doubled down on its approach, both in terms of European-focused development and styling, with this second-generation C-HR. Chief engineer Toshio Kanei led development from Toyota's Belgian technical centre and much of the styling work was done by the firm's ED² design studio in Nice, France.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة September 13, 2023 من Autocar UK.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
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هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة September 13, 2023 من Autocar UK.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
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