Second all-new Toyota SUV wanted in Australia

If you thought Toyota was done cranking out SUVs, think again.

There's an all-new small SUV on the way that will slot in below the Toyota RAV4 and above the C-HR to take on inexpensive compact SUVs like the Hyundai Kona, Kia Seltos and Mitsubishi ASX.

Not to be confused with Toyota's all-new entry-level micro-SUV that could arrive in Australia by late 2020, the Corolla-sized 'C-segment' SUV is also being monitored by Toyota Australia, carsales.com.au can confirm.

"The trend is moving towards those SUVs," said a spokesperson for the brand.

"We'd be interested in a vehicle of that type and size for Australia," they added.

Based on the same platform architecture (TNGA-C) as the Toyota Corolla, the new model has been dubbed a 'CUV', or crossover utility vehicle, in the USA and does not yet have a name.

It will be released in the USA from around August 2021 and will bolster the brand's SUV portfolio as buyers continue to migrate from traditional passenger cars to high-riding wagons and hatchbacks.

Confirmed via a leaked presentation at a top-level Toyota dealer conference in the USA recently, the new SUV could be priced from around $26,000 if it gets green-lit for Australia.

Release timing for the new-generation Toyota Tundra pick-up truck and Toyota 86 sports car was also leaked from the top-level dealer conference in the US.

As the smaller Toyota Yaris-based SUV will borrow powertrains from that hatchback, the mysterious new Japanese SUV is tipped to leverage the 2.0-litre petrol engine (125kW) and 1.8-litre petrol-electric hybrid powertrain (90kW) from the Corolla.

It's not clear if the new Toyota SUV will be bestowed with a high-performance 'GR' hero model like the Corolla on which it’s based, but the small performance SUV would be technically possible and would give Toyota a direct rival for the upcoming Hyundai Kona N.

Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda continues to push for sportier models to shift the brand's reputation from a purveyor of boring white-goods to a supplier of exciting machinery, so the new model could well form the basis of the Japanese giant’s first GR-branded SUV.

Front and all-wheel drive versions of the small Toyota SUV are a certainty, but automatic CVT transmission will be the mainstay of the line-up.

The usual array of safety systems including autonomous steering, acceleration and braking will feature, along with the multimedia equipment levels demanded by customers today, such as wireless phone charging, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and head-up display.

After the compact Yaris-based SUV arrives late this year or early in 2021, Toyota will have eight SUVs in its showrooms, including the C-HR, RAV4, Kluger, Fortuner and the LandCruiser Prado, 70 Series and 200 Series. This new SUV would take the tally to nine.

Render: David Jones