Monday, February 4, 2019

While the Toyota Yaris is Dead for 2019, It Might Be Alive Again in 2020

2020 Toyota Yaris Hatchback
Photo via Car and Driver
Car and Driver is reporting that while Toyota has axed the Yaris liftback for 2019, in 2020 it could  return with Mazda2 underpinnings.

Toyota already replaced the Yaris sedan with the Yaris iA, based on the Mazda2 sedan, which we reviewed when it was initially launched as a Scion. I said that while it had a willing chassis, it had a minuscule back seat and wasn't too exciting. I'm also not generally a big fan of small sedans. But the idea of a of this coming as a hatchback warms my gasoline-powered heart.

As Car and Driver pointed out, it'll likely be powered by the same 1.5-liter engine making 106 hp. I assume it'll also be mated to either the six-speed auto or the six-speed manual (yay!). And while I still haven't fully warmed up to the fish-face fascia, I think I prefer the package without a trunk—full-on hatchback style.

I'm a fan of most Mazda products, and was bummed when they discontinued the Mazda2. So seeing that it may be coming over in some form is great. I could very well see buying one of these in the future.

It should be said that Toyota has not officially stated this is going to happen, but all signs are pointing to "yes," which makes Toyota one of the few companies to continue offering a small car in its lineup. In fact, has always offered a small car in its lineup. This includes the Yaris, Echo, and Tercel.

2019 Mazda2 Hatchback
2019 Mazda2 Hatchback

2 comments:

Christian Morales said...

It seem the Yaris has under innovation. When new Yaris has released by next year, hopefully this one is better than previous.

Kevin T. said...

The 2020 Yaris Liftback has been announced, and if it's not an April Fool's joke, it appears that it is not available with a manual transmission... :-(