Sunday, August 3, 2008

No manual transmission for '09 Yaris 5-door?


Finally the U.S. gets the five-door Yaris liftback. However, are Americans not going to be able to row their own gears with it?

Below is the press release for the 2009 Toyota Yaris pricing, including the new five-door liftback. Oddly enough, it does not mention a manual transmission for the five door. Also, what the heck is a "manual five-speed automatic transmission?"

Hopefully Toyota simply neglected to include the manual transmission thing with the five door, or perhaps it'll be an addition in the later part of '09. Regardless, it seems pretty strange.

August 1, 2008 - Torrance, CA - Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A., Inc., today announced manufacturer's suggested retail prices (MSRP) for the three fuel efficient 2009 Toyota Yaris subcompact models. MSRPs will range from $12,205 for the three-door Liftback Base model to $15,880 for the Sedan S model when the vehicles hit dealerships later this summer.

Estimated EPA fuel economy ratings are 29 mpg city/35 mpg highway/31 mpg combined for all three body styles with an automatic transmission and 29/36/32 mpg for the manual transmission models.

The excellent fuel economy, combined with extensive standard equipment and fun-to-drive features make Yaris an outstanding value. For 2009, Yaris is available in three body styles: a sedan, three-door Liftback, and an all-new five-door liftback, each in Base and Sporty “S” grades.

All Yaris grades will now feature a number of standard safety features, including anti-lock brake system (ABS) with Electronic Brake Force Distribution (EBD), driver and front passenger front seat-mounted side airbags, and front and rear side curtain airbags. New exterior colors for the 2009 Yaris include Zephyr Blue Metallic and Blue Streak Metallic on Sedan and Yellow Jolt and Carmine Red Metallic on Liftback.

Prices for the Yaris three-door Liftback models range from $12,205 for the Base grade with four cylinder engine and manual five-speed automatic transmission to $14,825 for the S grade with four cylinder engine and four-speed automatic transmission.
The all-new five-door Liftback model prices range from $13,305 for the Base grade with four cylinder engine and four-speed automatic transmission to $15,125 for the S grade with four cylinder engine and four-speed automatic transmission.

Yaris Sedan model pricing ranges from $12,965 for the Base grade with four cylinder engine and manual five-speed automatic transmission to $15,880 for the S grade with four cylinder engine and four-speed automatic transmission.


2 comments:

D2M said...

This looks something like an editors error. If you look at the sentence...

"and manual five-speed automatic transmission to.."

There should be an "and" between 5-sp and auto. But this wouldn't sound right with the "and" just prior to manual. My guess is they edited out something, changed the sentence, and then forgot to put something back in.

It would be kinda neat if they had a 5 speed automatic though wouldn't it? Or they could mean CVT? LOL, I doubt it. Just a grammatical error... *Sighs wistfully*

Andy Lilienthal said...

Well, I'm hearing conflicting information about the availability of a five-speed manual on Yarisworld.com. Members there have said they've talked to Toyota's Customer Service folks and they say the five-door IS coming with a manual transmission. I know Edmunds has said it'll come with the manual, too. We'll see!