2020 Toyota Yaris hybrid for the European market is here

MANILA: The all-new Toyota Yaris was a highly-awaited commodity until it was, at last, officially unveiled at the 2019 Tokyo Motor Show in October 2019. Now, even after almost half a year since the unveiling, the Japanese hatchback is making it to the headlines just as much. Latest developments have brought to us the all-new Toyota Yaris hybrid that will be offered in the European market. Based on the automaker's TNGA-B platform, the highly revisited Yaris is now wider, lower, and shorter than before. The hatch, however, features a 50mm longer wheelbase, which results in a more spacious and interior than the outgoing model.

Thanks to a lot of hammering, the new Toyota Yaris packs in a much sporty, vibrant, and alluring appearance than the previous model. A large front grille flanked by trendy LED headlights, wide & chunky front & rear fenders, LED taillamps conjoined with a black trim piece, muscular bumpers, and a shark fin antenna make sure that the new Yaris looks like a car from 2020 and grabs the eyeballs with ease.

Coming on to the topic of the day, the new hatch in the Europen market will be sold with the automaker's fourth-gen hybrid powertrain that comprises of a 1.5-litre three-cylinder petrol engine, two electric motors, li-ion battery pack, and a CVT gearbox. Besides, some of the markets will also receive regular petrol-fed variants of the new Yaris housing 1.0-litre and 1.5-litre motors. As for the Yaris hybrid's battery pack, the new li-ion setup is said to be 27% lighter in weight as compared to the last-gen model's nickel-metal hydride pack.

Although Toyota has not revealed the official power figures of the Yaris hybrid yet, the hatch is expected to sport around 114 hp of maximum power from the petrol-electric setup, which is 15% more than before. Also, the fuel-efficiency is being said to be better by good 20%. Performance-wise, the 2020 Toyota Yaris hybrid will be able to do a 0 to 100 kmph (0-62 mph) run in 10.3 seconds, good 2 seconds quicker. Initially, only the hybrid powertrain with a 1.5-litre three-cylinder petrol engine, two electric motors, li-ion battery pack, and a CVT gearbox will be on offer, and the Japanese automaker will then launch the other petrol-only variants soon after. The all-new hatch will also have onboard the Toyota Safety Sense and boast some high-end safety features such as full speed-range intelligent adaptive cruise control, lane trace assist system, and many more.

Furthermore, the hatch will also get a world's first in the form of a centre airbag. The 2020 Toyota Yaris hybrid will be manufactured at Toyota's plant in Onnaing, France, and the bookings will start from around third quarter of 2020.

Also Read: Toyota Yaris crossover to arrive later this year, will rival the Nissan Juke