Polarizing is OK. Boring is not.
That’s what the designers of the Scion C-HR Concept kept in mind when they put pencil to paper.
The concept SUV made its world debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November, where people got the chance to see its sleek, modern design to end traditional lackluster SUVs. The C-HR, short for Compact ride and High Rise, sports four doors and a hatchback to keep the functionality of an SUV, but an urbanized body to bring it closer to a sports vehicle.
Designers asked customers what they were looking for in an SUV and found they wanted something with a great design — something distinctive, sophisticated, passionate and clean.
“Scion is known for doing things differently,” said Scion Vice President Andrew Gilleland. “This C-HR Concept embraces that idea and wears it like a badge of honor. We couldn’t be more excited to add the production version to our line-up.”
The urban lifestyle sports utility vehicle was designed to be just that – a vehicle for active urbanites who wanted a compromise between functionality and swagger.
The C-HR cabin was designed with the inspiration of a sheered diamond. Round fender flares are visible from every view, along with black accents that complement the grill, rear bumper, fenders and side panels and the 21-inch wheels continue the vehicle’s motif.
The C-HR sports a platform that employs a low center of gravity that gives the ride more responsive handling, agility, and stability. The system’s increased body rigidity reduces body movement and roll-in cornering, which allows comfort in the dynamic performance.
“Even though the C-HR has a high ride height, our focus was on creating a fantastic urban driving car,” said C-HR Chief Engineer Hiro Koba. “My favorite place to be on a weekend is at a race track and I wanted to build a car that I would have just as much fun driving in the city during the week with refined driving comfort and responsive, precise steering.”
The production version of the Scion C-HR is set to debut in 2016, and more about the timing and technical specifications for the vehicle will be available when it begins to roll into dealerships.
