Toyota discontinued the Yaris sedan in India last year due to poor sales – In global markets, it is getting ready to get updated to a new gen
Toyota India pulled the plug on Yaris in 2020 last year when it failed to generate any substantial sales volume in its relatively short stint in the country. However, it continues to be a strong crowd puller in other international markets. In fact, the Japanese brand is close to revealing the new gen Yaris.
A test mule of the new-gen Yaris has recently been spied in Thailand under a fully wrapped camouflage. And now, the first official teaser of the 2023 Toyota Yaris sedan has been released. The Yaris nameplate has been on offer in several international markets in various forms since 1999. Currently, it is on sale globally in multiple derivatives like Yaris Ativ and Vios depending on the market.
2023 Toyota Yaris New Gen Sedan Teaser
The current-gen Yaris sedan made its global debut in 2013 and since then has been updated thrice. It got its first facelift in 2016 which later went on sale in India in 2018. Internationally, the model received another mild styling update in the same year. Yaris is slated for a generation upgrade which will witness a host of changes.
As per reports, the new-gen Yaris will be based on Toyota’s low-cost modular Daihatsu New Generation Architecture (DNGA). This platform currently underpins a string of new models from Toyota and Daihatsu including Raize and its cousin Rocky respectively. For reference, DNGA is an affordable version of Toyota’s TNGA modular platform used in premium models.
The new model has been internally codenamed D92A and the letter ‘D’ suggests that the car is likely to make a transition to the Daihatsu platform. The DNGA platform has been developed to underpin new cars and SUVs that have been aimed at emerging markets. The new architecture will help the upcoming iteration of Yaris with weight savings, rigidity and also improved safety.
Exterior Design
From the latest teaser, it is clearly visible that the next-gen Yaris will flaunt a heavily reworked exterior design. In all probability, design of the new Yaris will be based on a concept sedan previewed back in 2017 in Indonesia. This pre-production concept was underpinned by the same DNGA platform and was called the Daihatsu DN-F sedan.
The teaser suggests that the new Yaris will sport a large radiator grille up front flanked by sleeker headlamps on both sides. The sedan will get a very sporty front bumper where a large part of its real estate will be taken up by a wider air dam. The sportier lower lip of the front bumper along with fog lamp housings and machine-cut, dual-tone alloy wheels speak of its character.
Expected Engine Options
As per leaked info, new gen Yaris will be offered with a 1.2 liter petrol engine option. Only CVT automatic transmission is on offer. 2023 Toyota Yaris variants are – Sport, Smart, Premium and Premium Luxury. The sedan will likely make its debut in the coming days and would continue to take on the likes of Hyundai Verna and Honda City.