Why should Nissan have all the stealthy sport crossover fun?
That’s the view of Toyota C-HR chief engineer Hiroyuki Koba, who is seeking approval for a hotter version of the upcoming crossover, Autocar reports.
First teased as a Scion concept, the 2017 C-HR bowed earlier this year at the Geneva Motor Show, adopting a new brand name after Toyota took its youth-oriented division behind the barn for a date with death.
European C-HRs get a turbocharged 1.2-liter four-cylinder or a 1.8-liter hybrid setup, but the North American market will likely see a 2.0-liter four. That mill (likely paired with a continuously variable transmission) sounds fine for regular trim levels, but it sure won’t cause palpitations.
Koba doesn’t want the Nissan Juke Nismo to steal the C-HR’s lunch money, so he’s on a mission to take his baby to the gym.
“I am pushing to make such a car,” he told Autocar. “I need to get approval.”
Toyota executives said they learned a lesson about building edgy vehicles from their lengthy Scion venture, so are they biting?
Toyota senior manager Rembert Serrus isn’t ruling it out, telling the publication, “The car lends itself to it.”
“It would be possible, but it depends on how much we have to change,” he added. “A sports version could be a minor change or it could be a new project. A sports version would make a lot of sense.”
The automaker is readying a racing version of the C-HR, powered by a 178-horsepower 1.5-liter turbo four, and that engine could be tapped for a performance model.
Still, the engine would be 10 horses shy of the base Juke Nismo, and wouldn’t generate a bead of sweat on the 215-horsepower Juke Nismo RS. For this reason, Koba wants a version of the C-HR that’s hotter than the racing model.
If Toyota’s Nimso fighter gets the green light, it won’t be in time to join the vanilla C-HR when it goes on sale later this year.
[Image: Toyota Motor Corporation]
“Seeking approval” for this from Akio should be about as tough as talking a drunk into bar-hopping and just as wise.
High belt-line, rakish D-pillar, creases galore and jacked-up ground clearance? Despite the wild styling, it seems like an extremely clinical way of designing a crossover for people my age.
Me? I prefer something with fewer folds and bulges.
Maybe there’s a standard fitting for an air compressor so you could pop them out. Today’s sheet metal should allow that.
Creases, folds and facets are a current fashion. The current Corvette is another example;so much visual busyness and clutter.
When all CAFE will permit are ever squatter jelly beans, all designers have left are to carve the sides.
At least be cool about it and chisel something like hieroglyphics or Incan stuff into them.
Hopefully it doesn’t get the Juke Nismo’s painful Recaros…
Ugh. I knew someone with a Juke Nismo and the Recaro seats. The dude was 6’3″ and pushing 280 lbs. I don’t know how it was remotely comfortable for him.
Manual trans. 8AR-FTS. AWD. Count me in.
Same here, but I foresee a CVT as the only transmission. Sigh.
The engineer wants a street model that is more powerful that the racing model? Whoa.
I’ve read Nismo only accounts for about two percent of Juke production. Standard 188 vs 211/215 Nismo depending on CVT or manual. Not a huge difference but the Nismo 6-speed enjoys significant torque increase and torque steer that goes with it..