Photo: S. Baldauf/SB-Medien & CarPix
Although it’s the smallest model of Toyota's European lineup, the Aygo – alongside its almost identical siblings (a.k.a. the Citroën C1 and Peugeot 107/108) has become a big statement in terms of productive automotive partnerships. On the other hand, now that we’ve seen the first prototype of the Toyota Aygo spied while undergoing road trials, rumors of the C1 and 108 being retired are also coming to life.
Toyota and the PSA Group created the Aygo, C1, and 107 (later 108) line of city cars back in 2005, a full decade and a half ago. All three models became prime examples of how to divide costs in order to make a certain platform a little more profitable. That's because they are all produced at the Toyota Peugeot Citroën Automobile Czech (TPCA) joint venture in Kolin, the Czech Republic.
All three are very competent urban dwellers – remember when the first generation Aygo was used by the Top Gear team for a little giant of a football match, demonstrating one of its main assets (maneuverability)? And all of them have always carried a distinctive design personality, with the first-generation Aygo featuring an interesting rear styling before the successor redirected our attention towards that quirky "X marks the spot" face.
The latter was released back in 2014 at the Geneva Motor Show with an emphasis on bringing a little bit from the Japanese youth culture to the Old Continent in a bid to expand its appeal with the younger generation. Toyota continued to set the tone four years later, with the arrival of the facelifted version at the same Swiss venue.
Now, it’s time to gear up for the upcoming arrival of a third generation – spied here making its debut in camouflaged form while being road tested somewhere in Europe. By the way, you can see two different vehicles in the gallery, one of them probably being a test mule that's using a Yaris body.
The new Aygo will be designed, developed, and built in the Old Continent, as per the words of Johan van Zyl, the head honcho of Toyota Europe. Its production will again take place in Kolin, the Czech Republic, the only big question that remains having to do with rumors on the demise of the Citroën C1 and Peugeot 108 siblings after the current iterations conclude their lifecycle.
One thing is certain: the French city cars will no longer be made at the Czech plant given that the Japanese automaker will take over the TPCA joint venture in January 2021, effectively making it a wholly-owned subsidiary of Toyota Motors Europe.
All three are very competent urban dwellers – remember when the first generation Aygo was used by the Top Gear team for a little giant of a football match, demonstrating one of its main assets (maneuverability)? And all of them have always carried a distinctive design personality, with the first-generation Aygo featuring an interesting rear styling before the successor redirected our attention towards that quirky "X marks the spot" face.
The latter was released back in 2014 at the Geneva Motor Show with an emphasis on bringing a little bit from the Japanese youth culture to the Old Continent in a bid to expand its appeal with the younger generation. Toyota continued to set the tone four years later, with the arrival of the facelifted version at the same Swiss venue.
Now, it’s time to gear up for the upcoming arrival of a third generation – spied here making its debut in camouflaged form while being road tested somewhere in Europe. By the way, you can see two different vehicles in the gallery, one of them probably being a test mule that's using a Yaris body.
The new Aygo will be designed, developed, and built in the Old Continent, as per the words of Johan van Zyl, the head honcho of Toyota Europe. Its production will again take place in Kolin, the Czech Republic, the only big question that remains having to do with rumors on the demise of the Citroën C1 and Peugeot 108 siblings after the current iterations conclude their lifecycle.
One thing is certain: the French city cars will no longer be made at the Czech plant given that the Japanese automaker will take over the TPCA joint venture in January 2021, effectively making it a wholly-owned subsidiary of Toyota Motors Europe.
Google News