Toyota Targets Turkey’s “Green” Car Tax Cut

Toyota Motor Corp. is taking advantage of a “green” vehicle tax cut in Turkey with its locally produced all-new C-HR mini-crossover vehicle.

The 2017 model will begin shipping from Toyota’s factory in Arifiye in November. The highly styled C-HR will be sold locally and exported to more than 50 countries in Africa, Europe and the Middle East.

Toyota invested €350 million ($387 million) to upgrade the facility and prepare it to build about 180,000 gasoline and hybrid versions of the model per year.

The C-HR debuted in March at the Geneva auto show. The car rides on Toyota’s New Global Architecture, a platform that also carries the latest version of the Prius hybrid sedan. Initial powertrain choices are a 1.8-liter hybrid or a 1.2-liter 4-cylinder turbocharged gasoline engine with 6-speed manual or continuously variable transmission.

The hybrid option qualifies for a 50% cut in Turkey’s special consumption tax under a rule adopted by the government earlier this month, according to The Nikkei. It says the lower rate applies for vehicles with a hybrid powertrain that pairs a piston engine displacing between 1.6 and 1.8 liters with an electric motor rated at more than 50 kW.