Toyota aimed its boldly styled C-HR at the European market, and so far, that focus appears to be paying off in just 5 short months. Since the C-HR’s introduction early this year in Europe, it has become the Japanese brand’s third-largest seller in Europe and has established itself as a top contender in the fast-growing compact SUV/crossover segment.
Nissan’s Qashqai, with 75,114 European sales in the first quarter, according to figures from JATO Dynamics, is the segment sales leader. The C-HR, with 31,888 units sold, figures strongly in the mix with the Ford Kuga (40,033), Renault Kadjar (29,474) and Seat Ateca (21,707).
Toyota has said it expected to sell 100,000 C-HRs annually in Europe and early demand has strained production at the company’s plant in Sakarya, Turkey. The same might be seen in Malaysia when the C-HR arrives later this year.
