B-segment hatchback gets latest TNGA platform and three-pot engines; Thailand may get different looks and specs.
Has it got anything to do with the Mazda 2?
These are the first official pictures of the all-new Yaris from Toyota which has now entered its fourth generation.
Sitting on a new platform called GA-B developed within the TNGA family, the B-segment hatchback is claimed to have a 30% stiffer body yet is 50kg lighter than before.
In a bid to maintain its compact dimensions and driving agility around town, the new Yaris sits on a relatively compact 2,550mm wheelbase.
Although today’s Yaris in North America is based on the Mazda 2, this new one here has been engineered for Australia, Europe and Japan without Mazda's help.
So it’s not intended for Thailand?
If you look at the third generation model, the Yaris has been sold with slightly different dimensions, looks and engines around the world.
This might be the case again for the fourth-gen Yaris, especially for markets like China and Southeast Asia in which the wheelbase length is 40mm longer than the third-gen model sold elsewhere
The engine lineup for the new Yaris includes three-cylinder petrol units. The 1KR-FE 1.0-litre is developed by Daihatsu, while the M15A 1.5-litre is a new development of Toyota to additionally handle electrification. Apart from a CVT automatic, the 1.5 Hybrid has optional electronic all-wheel drive.
They don’t sound compatible for Ecocar rules…
That’s right, as today's Yaris has been tailored to suit Ecocar rules in Thailand. This is why the existing 1.2-litre four-cylinder is set to be used instead of those aforementioned ones, although it needs to be tweaked for Ecocar II regs (23.3kpl minimum,100g/km of CO2 maximum and no more than 1,300cc). The current Yaris (and Yaris Ativ sedan) has figures of 20kpl and 120g/km suiting Ecocar I.
Elsewhere around the vehicle, though, expect all Yaris models sold around the globe to share interior electronics like those relating to connectivity and driving safety. Lots of driving aids are being touted in the new Yaris to stand out in the B-segment hatchback class.
All-new B-sector models from other brands that will be introduced later this year include the Honda City and Nissan Almera sedans. The Mazda 2 will also have an update.
