Sexier Toyota C-HR GR Sport inbound

The popular Toyota C-HR small SUV is about to get a whole lot sportier.

New data submitted to the federal government's Road Vehicle Certification System indicates that Toyota Australia is planning to introduce a new C-HR 'GR Sport' model grade, which is likely to become a sporty new hero version of the Japanese brand's smallest SUV.

Although the Australian Design Rule document submitted by Toyota refers to 'GR-Sports', Toyota Australia is likely to adopt the GR Sport nomenclature used by its parent company in Japan, as you can see in these images.

Although the spunky-looking compact SUV misses out on the manic 192kW turbo-petrol three-cylinder engine that powers the Toyota Yaris GR, official homologation details confirm that Toyota Australia's first half-flavoured GR model will ride on lower, sportier suspension and 19-inch alloy wheels with 225/45 R19 tyres.

First revealed in Japan in 2019, the Toyota CH-R GR Sport scores suspension and steering mods backed up by an aggressive sports bodykit including a square-jawed front apron inspired by the Yaris GR, plus chunky side skirts, an urban-assault rear apron with quad exhaust tips outlets and specific new alloy wheels.

Measuring 1550mm tall, the new C-HR is 15mm lower than regular models, and ground clearance has dropped by 12mm from 137mm to 125mm. Suffice to say, this is not the sort of vehicle to be taking up the Oodnadatta track.

Changes to the interior include upgraded sports seats with cloth-suede combination upholstery and a racy steering wheel similar to the item in the Toyota 86 coupe.

Engine options will be the same as the current C-HR range, including either 1.2-litre turbo-petrol (85kW/185Nm) or 1.8-litre petrol-electric hybrid (72kW/142kW) powertrains.

That said, there have been unconfirmed reports that a full-flavoured Toyota C-HR GR with the 192kW three-pot screamer from the Yaris GR will be introduced down the track.

When Toyota launched its GR (Gazoo Racing) high-performance sub-brand in Australia last September with the reborn Supra GR, it said it would only attach the GR badge to vehicles with significant engine and chassis improvements.

The GR Supra came first and the GR Yaris will be step two when it arrives later this year, while step three is widely expected to be the Toyota GR Corolla hot hatch.

“When we launched GR the first car was Supra, and we want to offer vehicles with a noticeable performance increase,” a Toyota Australia spokesperson told carsales last year.

But it seems Toyota's GR focus has now shifted to meet growing demand for sportier looking models that don't necessarily offer more performance, such as Ford's ST-Line and Hyundai's N Line.

The local release of the C-HR GR Sport has not been officially confirmed by Toyota Australia, but we understand it’s a done deal and it's only the timing that remains undecided at this stage.

The Toyota C-HR would be a logical choice to kick-start the GR Sport sub-brand in Australia, given the increasing popularity of compact SUVs and the fact Toyota already sells a 'rich mix' of premium C-HR variants, which are more profitable.

he C-HR has had a solid sales year despite the tough financial climate, its 5411 cumulative sales to the end of July being only around one per cent lower than the year before. At the same time, the overall new-vehicle market is down by almost 20 per cent.

Of course, the arrival of the Toyota C-HR GR Sport in the Australian marketplace could open the door for other spiffy-looking mid-spec model variants to slot between garden-variety versions and top-spec, tyre-flaying GR vehicles -- for example the Corolla GR Sport.

First shown in early 2019, the Toyota Corolla GR Sport gets a similar cosmetic upgrade to the C-HR Sport.

The next Toyota 86 coming in 2021 will also get GR branding and, in Japan, Toyota sells several GR-enhanced models, including the Prius, Yaris and Mark X.