Looks like: Its tall height, angular face and beady-eyed headlights give it the look of an awkward yet angry alien.
Defining characteristics: Painfully sharp body creases, enormous wheels
Ridiculous features: Exterior lighting — in front, there’s LED light-pipe headlights in a crop-circle formation. In back, the boomerang-shaped headlights emulate wings.
Chance of being mass-produced: The production version will debut in 2016.
Scion’s newest concept may look otherworldly, but it’s very much a real car. Scion announced that the C-HR concept will spawn a production vehicle, and it looks like the automaker is planning to jump into the subcompact SUV class — one of this year’s most popular segments. The C-HR concept stands for Compact size and High Ride height and was designed for young, urban and creative people, or “yuccies,” according to Scion.
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The C-HR’s extreme design is sure to be thought of as yucky by some, with its squat profile, stretched angles, creased lines and bizarre taillights. It rides on 21-inch wheels that feature chiseled cutouts of the car’s profile. It wears a lot of black; the grille, rear bumper, fender flares and lower side panels are all trimmed in graphite, matching the all-black roof.
The automaker is fully aware of the concept’s non-traditional styling. “Scion is known for doing things differently, and maybe even being a little weird. This C-HR concept embraces that idea and wears it like a badge of honor,” Scion Vice President Andrew Gilleland said in a statement.
Scion didn’t release any powertrain or interior features information, but it did say the C-HR rides on a new platform, Toyota’s New Global Architecture. Toyota says the new platform will produce vehicles with a lower center of gravity, increased body rigidity, more responsive handling and improved ride comfort.
Scion didn’t say when the C-HR will go on sale, but said the production version will make its debut in 2016.
