Toyota has made available images and limited technical details of its forthcoming third-generation Yaris. The car is set for European introduction shortly and, according to the local importers, should be available in South Africa later this year.
As in Europe, and despite a recent decline in sales in April and May, the Yaris remains one of the country’s top-selling cars and is paramount to Toyota’s success in the A- and B-segments of the local market.
The new car builds on the “compact outside, spacious inside” concept and promises more head-, leg- and shoulder room compared with its predecessor, thanks to a stretched wheelbase and wider tracks front and rear. It is also probable that the luggage capacity has grown, but unfortunately Toyota has not yet made these details available.
The car’s styling is perhaps not as adventurous as its supermini competitors, such as the Ford Fiesta and Mazda2, but appears to be more sophisticated than the current Yaris.
Three engines will be offered, all making use of Toyota’s Optimal Drive technology: a 1,0-litre VVT-i, 1,3-litre with dual VVT-i and a 1,4-litre D-4D turbodiesel.
The car will be built at Toyota’s Valenciennes plant in France and is said to deliver the highest possible standard of build quality. A new driver-oriented facia makes use of soft-touch materials and higher-quality surface finishes compared with its predecessor. A 6,1-inch touch-screen multimedia interface will be standard fitment in most European models and forms part of Toyota’s Touch & Go system. It is unlikely that this system will be available on the entry models in South Africa.
No further technical or specification details are available, but Toyota Motors South Africa has confirmed that the new car will be available locally by the third quarter of 2011. It will initially only be launched as a hatchback, but a saloon may follow soon after.