Toyota C-HR+ arrives as BEV, will Urban Cruiser follow?

• Toyota C-HR+ is a battery electric vehicle similar in size to the C-HR hybrid
• C-HR+ shares its platform and much of its interior with the bZ4X
• A smaller Urban Cruiser EV arrives for Europe late this year

Toyota launched two new electric vehicles and updated its two current EVs on Tuesday. A brand showcase in Brussels highlighted Toyota’s push for carbon neutrality in Europe by 2035.

The two new models include a fully electric version of the C-HR small crossover and an all-new model for the B-segment called the Urban Cruiser. The company also rolled out updates for the Toyota bZ4X and related Lexus RZ that have been on sale in North America since the 2023 model year. 

It remains to be seen which models and what updates will migrate to the North American market. It seems likely the C-HR+ will mark a new entry point for the brand’s grudging but growing EV lineup in North America, while the smaller Urban Cruiser’s more compact size fits with what’s preferred in Europe. All its lower body cladding and its boxy proportions could appeal to the SUV-crazed North American portfolio as well. 

Those two models, along with the bZ4X, represent the first wave of an EV product push that will result in six new EVs launched for Europe by the end of 2026. Toyota teased the second wave in a silhouetted slide of the next three EVs.

Based on past concepts, the forthcoming models include a pickup truck, presumed to be an Hilux EV; a larger crossover, quite possibly the Land Cruiser EV that has been showcased in concept form since 2023; and a smaller crossover that may have been previewed by the Sport Crossover Concept in 2023. Any of the three could house Toyota’s solid-state battery cells expected in 2027.

Toyota touted the further development of its multi-pathway approach to electrification that includes hybrid, plug-in hybrid, battery electric, and hydrogen fuel-cell technologies, as well as big steps in its micromobility concepts. 

Toyota C-HR+ builds off the bZ4X

Even though the C-HR was discontinued in 2022 in the U.S., the small crossover that could be mistaken for a hatchback has been a hit in Europe. Since its 2016 launch, the two generations of the C-HR have accounted for more than 1 million sales, and the existing hybrid and plug-in hybrid C-HR variants will be joined by the C-HR+ full battery electric model. 

“Under the skin the architecture is entirely different,” Yoshihiro Nakata, president and CEO of Toyota Motor Europe, said to the crowd in Brussels. 

It shares only a name with the C-HR, instead sharing the brand’s e-TNGA platform with the Toyota bZ4X. Its interior also looks nearly identical to the interior of the updated bZ4X. On the outside, with its curved coupe-like roofline and subtle cladding running along the lower front bumper and over the rounded wheel arches and pronounced rockers, it looks more like a Lexus. The running lights hook like long staples across the broad face, which is bookend by vertical slots topped with fog lights. Below the integrated roof spoiler, a full light bar spans the ducktail rear, and the poofed fenders add to its muscular, low-set look. The only C-HR element about it is recessed rear door handles hidden up in the rear window frame. 

At 178 inches long, it’s about six inches shorter than the bZ4X, and the raked tailgate cuts into cargo space behind the rear seats, limiting it to about 14.7 cubic feet. Thick sides also reduce its potential. The rear seats have decent headroom, but since the 108.3-inch wheelbase is about four inches shorter than the bZ4X’s, the legroom is expectedly smaller than the tight 35.3 inches of the bZ4X. From that point forward, however, it could easily be mistaken for the bZ4X.

The small-diameter steering wheel extends to an instrument cluster recessed near the base of the windshield. Fortunately, changes to the bZ4X apply here as well, so when you tilt or telescope the steering wheel it doesn’t move the small cluster. Brighter iconography and a new design make it look larger than what’s in the current bZ4X, but Toyota reps told us it was the same size. Outward vision remained a priority, so both it and the standard 14.0-inch touchscreen sit under the cowl, leaving the driver’s line of sight unimpeded. The touchscreen interface appears to be the unit designed in North America and used in most newer mid-level Toyota and nearly all Lexus models. It incorporates the HVAC controls but there are climate dials and a volume knob for the multimedia system. Toyota says the C-HR+ will have two wireless smartphone chargers and rear USB ports. A floating console holds a circular shifter and sparse drive mode buttons, lending the interior a clean, uncluttered look.

Two battery pack sizes for the C-HR+

The C-HR+ comes with either a 57.7-kwh (gross) battery pack with a front-wheel-drive single-motor setup (123 kw), or a 77-kwh (gross) battery pack with front-wheel (165 kw) or dual-motor (252 kw) all-wheel drive. Toyota wouldn’t disclose the source of the battery pack cells.

Toyota says the motors in this second-gen BEV system are designed for more direct power delivery, and the AWD version will be capable of an estimated 0-62 mph time of 5.2 seconds. Toyota promises greater body rigidity and agility over the other C-HRs.

“It’s the most emotional, dynamic crossover we have ever brought to the European market,” Nakata crowed. 

Toyota estimated a range of 373 miles on the generous European WLPT cycle. It comes with a heat pump for the climate control, heated front seats, and heated steering wheel. It can be preconditioned to optimize charging power, and the navigation system has EV routing and charging stations. An 11-kw onboard charger comes standard, while a 22-kw onboard charger is optional, and promises to cut DC-fast charging times that have a max rate of 150 kw. 

Toyota guarantees the battery will retain at least 70% of capacity in the first decade of the EV’s life, and the warranty covers eight years or nearly 100,000 miles (160,000 kilometers), while the high-voltage battery is covered for 10 years or 621,371 miles (1 million kilometers). 

The CH-R+ goes on sale in select European markets late in 2025, with a full rollout in 2026. Even though the gas model was discontinued in the U.S. in 2022, the C-HR+ could launch in North America in 2026 as either a 2026 or 2027 model year.  

Toyota plans Urban Cruiser for Europe, for now

The Urban Cruiser evolves out of the Urban SUV Concept Toyota showed late in 2023. It’s a B-segment (subcompact) vehicle with squat proportions and enough rubberized cladding to make Subaru blush. It looks more American than the more European C-HR+. With a 106.3-inch wheelbase, the interior is only slightly smaller than the cabin of the C-HR+, but it’s boxier and taller. Toyota says it’s slightly larger than the Yaris Cross hybrid, so it’s Corolla Cross sized for American audiences. 

It can be had with a 49-kwh lithium ion phosphate battery pack and front-wheel drive rated at 106 kw (142 hp), or a 61-kwh pack with a single front motor rated at 128 kw (172 hp) or a dual-motor all-wheel-drive setup rated at 135 kw (181 hp). The WLTP range peaks at about 250 miles for the larger pack and front-wheel drive. 

The roomy interior optimizes space with a thinner floating console, boxy vents that mimic the exterior design, a flat-bottomed steering wheel, and a 10.3-inch digital instrument cluster beside a 10.1-inch touchscreen integrated under one pane of glass. It looks more cohesive than the recessed cluster of the C-HR+ and bZ4X.

Toyota plans to release the Urban Cruiser for Europe by the end of 2025. 

Toyota paid for airfare and lodging for Green Car Reports to attend its product showcase.