Toyota showcased its much awaited Yaris mid-size sedan at the recently concluded Auto Expo 2018. While everyone in India was anticipating the Vios sedan, Toyota showcased the Yaris sedan, pitting it in a segment dominated by cars like the new Hyundai Verna, Maruti Suzuki Ciaz and Honda City. Toyota has been immensely successful with the premium segment products and it was highly unlikely of the Japanese brand to not launch a mid-size sedan in India.
However, looking at the product in the Expo, it is safe to say, whatever time Toyota took to develop this product for the domestic market, it didn’t go in vain. It would be too early to say how the car performs on the road, but we know for sure, Toyota engines are among the best out there! The Yaris is expected to reach showrooms next month and will be positioned between the Etios and the Corolla Altis. Here’s everything you need to know about this upcoming sedan-
Design
Toyota Yaris is every bit Toyota thanks to its new age design language borrowed from cars like Camry and Corolla. The mid-size sedan looks every bit premium and has a unique design language of its own, unlike any of the previously launched Toyota cars in India. There’s a big grille upfront with rectangular stretched back headlights and teardrop fog lights. Toyota has used a lot of chrome to highlight the premium sedan design. The Yaris is wider than most of the competitors in the segment, making it a spacious car inside the cabin. Overall, the Yaris is both muscular and curvy, making it look every bit premium.
Cabin
One thing that Toyota has learned after so many years of existence in India is the fact that Indian buyers are obsessed with value-for-money products. And to make Yaris a VFM vehicle, Toyota is adding several first-in-class features to compete with its well-loaded competitors. There are a total of 12 of them, including roof-mounted air vents with ambient illumination, acoustic and vibration control glass, 4.2-inch TFT MID with Eco wallet, hand/air gesture control for the infotainment system, Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS), and tail lamps with LED line guide. Other highlights include projector headlamps with LED line guide, LED DRLs, Shark-fin antenna, piano black interior, rear power outlets, rear sunshade and more.
Engine
With most of the countries contemplating to ban diesel sales, Toyota decided not to develop a new engine for the Yaris. Instead, the Yaris will be offered with a single 1.5-litre 4-cylinder, petrol engine with an output of 108hp. The engine will be available with a 6-speed manual gearbox alongside a 7-step CVT (automatic transmission). A petrol-hybrid can be added in the later stage.
Safety
Not just some fancy features, but Toyota has decided to load the Yaris to the brim with a segment leading safety kit. The Yaris will be equipped with an all-wheel disc brakes, seven airbags (including a driver knee airbag), Hill-start Assist Control (HSC) and Vehicle Stability Control (VSC), front parking sensors ABS, EBD and ESP. Toyota Yaris with similar specs was awarded five stars in ASEAN NCAP crash tests.
Price
At the last, it will all boil down to the pricing of the Toyota Yaris. Since it is competing with Hyundai, Honda and Maruti Suzuki, Toyota has to keep the pricing bang-on. The Yaris will be manufactured in India at the Toyota’s plant in Karnataka indicating that the Yaris is likely to be priced very competitively. We are anticipating a starting price of Rs 8 Lakh, with the top model going upwards of Rs 12 Lakh.
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