Toyota Hinting That the C-HR Will See Production

Toyota C-HR Concept. Photos courtesy of Toyota.

Toyota lately has been getting pretty bold with its designs, which are gravitating more and more toward what one would expect only from concept vehicles. Nissan's been doing something similar, but for the most part automakers have been avoiding this kind of a strategy, choosing instead to play follow the leader.

Not that long ago, Toyota was falling in line with everyone else, hence why the Avalon right now looks like it could easily be a Hyundai. While I'm not a huge fan of the edgy, geometric look of new Toyotas, nobody can accuse the company of not pushing the envelope. Personally, the huge spindle grilles on Lexus models and other angular features remind me too much of what Cadillac started doing in the early 2000s, which I hated as well.

In any case, Toyota is going to be pushing even further into uncharted waters with the possibility of the C-HR concept getting the green light to production. The design was polarizing when it was revealed at last year's Paris Motor Show.

If it does make it to market, the Toyota C-HR (or whatever the production name might be) would be a hybrid crossover that would compete in the C-segment market. Supposedly, it's designed to look like a hardened gemstone that's been cut with the greatest precision.

Will car shoppers warm to this ugly face? I have no idea, because I still can't figure out why the Nissan Juke is so popular.