PARIS -- Toyota has decided not to sell a new diesel engine it is developing in its C-HR crossover.
The 1.5-liter, three-cylinder diesel was due to be offered in the C-HR in Europe but the crossover will be sold only with gasoline and hybrid powertrains. The model will go on sale later this year.
"The development of this engine is continuing for global applications but its calibration for Europe has been put on standby," Toyota Chief Competitive Officer Didier Leroy said today at the auto show here.
Leroy said two-thirds of the pre-orders for the C-HR in Europe are for the hybrid version. Customer orders may tell a different story when the car is actually on the market, Leroy said, but the pre-order mix doesn't show the "diesel as a must" for the crossover.
About 25 percent of Toyota's vehicle sales in Europe are diesel models, compared with just below 50 percent for the total market. Since Volkswagen Group's diesel emissions-rigging was exposed a year ago, the market share of diesels in the region has been declining. In August, diesel share fell to 48.3 percent from 50.9 percent the same month a year before, according to data from market researcher LMC Automotive. Through August diesel share dropped to 49.9 percent from 52.1 percent.
In Europe, Toyota offers its own 1.4-liter diesel engine on the Yaris subcompact and Auris compact models, a BMW 1.6-liter on the Verso compact minivan and Avensis midsize sedan, and a BMW 2.0-liter on the Avensis and RAV4 compact SUV. Toyota diesels are offered on larger vehicles such as the Land Cruiser large SUV and Hilux pickup.
Toyota offers hybrid drivetrains with its Auris, Yaris and RAV4 models, along with diesel and gasoline versions. Its Prius model has hybrid and plug-in hybrid variants.
