Toyota is bringing back C-HR – with a big change

Toyota is bringing back a subcompact SUV model it discontinued when it began manufacturing in Alabama – but this time, there’s a difference.

Toyota is introducing an all-new 2026 Toyota C-HR Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV), expected to arrive next year in showrooms after it was discontinued in 2022.

What’s more, Toyota has introduced a hybrid only version of its RAV4, the bestselling SUV in the U.S.

The C-HR went away when the Japanese automaker introduced the Toyota Corolla Cross, which it manufactures in Huntsville.

The Corolla Cross is doing well, with sales up nearly 27 percent from last year, and it beat out the Prius last year.

But the C-HR BEV has much to commend it. Toyota is touting its 338 horsepower, standard All-Wheel Drive, and an estimated 0-60 m.p.h. time of around five seconds.

The coupe-like design features up 25.4-cubic feet of rear cargo space behind the rear seats for compact crossover utility.

The vehicle is powered by a 74.7 kW battery with an estimated all-electric range rating of 290 miles. It will come equipped with a North American Charging System (NACS) port, giving it access to thousands of DC charging stations nationwide.

It will also have the convenience of Plug & Charge, simplifying charging and capable of getting power from Level One and Level Two AC power sources.

When activated, four different levels of regenerative braking power can be selected to convert kinetic energy to electric energy, adding charge to the traction battery.

The vehicle will come in SE and XSE grades and have a 14-inch touchscreen that runs the Toyota Audio Multimedia system, fully digital gauge cluster and the Toyota Safety Sense 3.0 system.

It’s the twentieth electric model to be added to Toyota’s lineup.

Late Tuesday, Toyota also announced the 2026 RAV4, which will offer a conventional gas-electric hybrid powertrain as the base setup and a more powerful plug-in hybrid drivetrain as an upgrade.

According to CNBC, it will still have a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine, but with hybrid technologies such as batteries and electric motors. Road & Track says it has 320 horsepower, 18 more than the previous RAV4 Prime, with an estimated 5.6-second 0-60 m.p.h. time.