Amid the buzz surrounding the launch of the all-new 2012 Toyota Camry sedan going on sale later this year, Toyota snuck in another piece of new car news under the radar: later this year, the U.S. market will also receive the completely redesigned 2012 Yaris subcompact. The news dropped in a single sentence of Toyota’s monthly sales conference call.
Having gone on sale already in Japan and launching in Australia and Europe later this year, the Yaris is growing from a small also-ran whose sales were off 36.7 percent in 2010 compared to 2009 into what Toyota hopes will be a class-leading car to compete with the Ford Fiesta, Nissan Versa, and Chevrolet Sonic. From what we know of the Japanese spec car, the new Yaris will grow 3.5 inches in length with two of those inches coming from a longer wheelbase.
Although the outgoing car, which went on sale in 2007, looked as mundane as any $13,000 car could on the outside, the new car carries curves and sharp lines not unlike the larger Prius, making it look decidedly more mature. The same could be said for the UK-spec interior that trades its awkward, ergonomically challenged dashboard for a more modern design with the gauges in front of the driver instead of in the center stack. While Yaris loyalists may mourn the loss of the driver’s side glovebox, the new design comes off as much more modern.
If Japan’s drivetrains are any indication of what buyers can expect here, our sister publication, Motor Trend, has said that the Yaris should once again come with a base 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine that will likely be paired with either a five-speed manual or a continuously variable automatic transmission. Stability control and traction control should come as standard equipment while start-stop technology, a touch-screen multimedia system, and a backup camera will likely be options on the Yaris. Look for the U.S. version to hit showrooms around the same time at a starting price that should to be close to that of the current model.
Source: Toyota, Motor Trend
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