PARIS MOTOR SHOW: Toyota teases micro SUV concept

Update, September 22: Two images of the Toyota C-HR concept have been leaked ahead of the vehicle's Paris debut, revealing a sporty new look, almost like a jacked-up Toyota 86 coupe.

Far more sporty than first thought, the Toyota C-HR concept rides on large alloy wheels shrouded by pumped wheel arches, and with its sports car snout, swept roofline and rear spoiler, the car delivers plenty of visual punch.

Toyota Australia is keeping mum on the new model and wouldn't confirm whether its a preview of an upcoming vehicle or just a flight or fancy, but it certainly seems the car is less compact SUV (a la Ford EcoSport) and more an energetic crossover (Nissan JUKE). That the vehicle has a three-door layout means its won't be overly practical, instead targeting buyers hearts, not their heads.

Toyota has confirmed it will reveal a striking new small SUV concept at the 2014 Paris motor show in early October, which could lead to a long-awaited compact crossover model from the world's top-selling car-maker.

Apart from a single teaser image of the C-HR concept, Toyota has revealed only that the vehicle will be propelled by a hybrid powertrain, promising "an agile, engaging driving experience".

The design appears sleek and contemporary, with a roof spoiler, aerodynamic proportions and artistic use of LEDs.

But the key detail of the C-HR concept is its size. The C-segment crossover should be about the size of a Corolla or Mazda3, meaning Toyota is now thinking about developing a compact SUV to slot in underneath its popular RAV4 -- currently its smallest SUV in Australia.

The small SUV genre is rapidly expanding and Toyota is now one of the few mainstream brands not to be represented in the segment, having chosen not to sell its pint-size Daihatsu Terios here as a Toyota.

A production version the concept would be pitched at the budget end of the market, against rivals such as the Ford EcoSport, Holden Trax, Mitsubishi's ASX, the Skoda Yeti, Peugeot 2008, and Nissan's JUKE and Qashqai, which are all priced from the low $20K region.

The small SUV space is rapidly expanding and Toyota will want to get its skates on if it intends to make a dent in the growing market, with vehicles such as the Renault Captur and Honda HR-V expected to make inroads in Australia when they arrive here in late 2014 and early 2015 respectively.

Other small SUVs on the horizon promising affordability and a high riding position are the Jeep Renegade, Fiat's closely related 500X, Suzuki's born-again Vitara, the all-new Mazda CX-3 and, perhaps, other new baby SUVs from Hyundai, Kia and Volkswagen.