Photo: Mazda
Known as the Demio in Japan, the Mazda2 Sedan is available in the United States as the Yaris Sedan. Toyota announced that it’s phasing out the liftback for the 2019 model year, but a surprise is in the offing for 2020.
That surprise is the Mazda2 Hatchback with Toyota badging inside and out. Car & Driver is certain that’s the case for the 2020 model year, but confirmation in this regard will have to wait until April 2019.
Toyota spokesperson Nancy Hubbell let it slip that an announcement will be made at the New York Auto Show. Don’t expect the Japanese automaker to tell it as it is, but market the 2020 Toyota Yaris without mentioning the Mazda-sourced underpinnings and production.
A few years back, the sedan used to be called Scion iA and subsequently Yaris iA when Scion was dissolved. For the five-door hatchback, Toyota is likely to mirror the trim levels, features, engine, and transmission of the sedan.
Priced at $15,450 excluding destination and available in seven exterior colors, the Yaris Sedan comes in L, LE ($16,450), and XLE ($18,550) flavors in North America. The 1.5-liter SkyActiv-G four-cylinder tthat comes standard in the MX-5 in Europe and Japan develops 106 horsepower and 103 pound-feet in this application.
A six-speed manual is standard in the L and LE, with the XLE relying on a six-speed automatic transmission with a good ol’ torque converter. The Yaris features independent suspension up front and a torsion beam at the rear, but nevertheless, the handling is surprisingly good.
As for the Yaris liftback that was canceled for 2019, the Toyota-developed supermini was imported from France. Even in Europe, the Yaris isn’t doing too well because the underpinnigs are old and the competition is stronger than ever.
Despite the TRD and GR paraphernalia that Toyota is trying to push onto its American customers, the Yaris GRMN never made it stateside. The limited-edition hot hatchback is a bit of an oddity because of the supercharged engine, an alternative to more conventional rivals such as the Ford Fiesta ST.
Speaking of which, is there a subcompact-sized hot hatchback on sale in the United States right now? With Ford pulling the FiST from the lineup together, we’re inclined to believe the answer is no.
Toyota spokesperson Nancy Hubbell let it slip that an announcement will be made at the New York Auto Show. Don’t expect the Japanese automaker to tell it as it is, but market the 2020 Toyota Yaris without mentioning the Mazda-sourced underpinnings and production.
A few years back, the sedan used to be called Scion iA and subsequently Yaris iA when Scion was dissolved. For the five-door hatchback, Toyota is likely to mirror the trim levels, features, engine, and transmission of the sedan.
Priced at $15,450 excluding destination and available in seven exterior colors, the Yaris Sedan comes in L, LE ($16,450), and XLE ($18,550) flavors in North America. The 1.5-liter SkyActiv-G four-cylinder tthat comes standard in the MX-5 in Europe and Japan develops 106 horsepower and 103 pound-feet in this application.
A six-speed manual is standard in the L and LE, with the XLE relying on a six-speed automatic transmission with a good ol’ torque converter. The Yaris features independent suspension up front and a torsion beam at the rear, but nevertheless, the handling is surprisingly good.
As for the Yaris liftback that was canceled for 2019, the Toyota-developed supermini was imported from France. Even in Europe, the Yaris isn’t doing too well because the underpinnigs are old and the competition is stronger than ever.
Despite the TRD and GR paraphernalia that Toyota is trying to push onto its American customers, the Yaris GRMN never made it stateside. The limited-edition hot hatchback is a bit of an oddity because of the supercharged engine, an alternative to more conventional rivals such as the Ford Fiesta ST.
Speaking of which, is there a subcompact-sized hot hatchback on sale in the United States right now? With Ford pulling the FiST from the lineup together, we’re inclined to believe the answer is no.
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