Reports about the death of the Toyota Yaris Liftback
appear to have been slightly exaggerated as the company will replace the model
with a new hatchback in the United States Car and Driver talked to Toyota
spokesperson Nancy Hubbell who confirmed a new hatchback variant is coming for
2020. She declined to go into specifics, but the magazine believes the model
will be a rebadged version of the Mazda2.
This isn’t too surprising as the current Yaris is a
sedan based on the Mazda2. Given this, we can expect the hatchback to have
familiar styling and a handful of a Toyota-specific touches. The hatchback should be powered
by a 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine that produces 106 hp and 139 Nm of torque. It will likely be paired to a six-speed manual
and a six-speed automatic transmission.
While the engine carries over from the Yaris
Liftback, the gearboxes are a significant improvement as the outgoing model
only offers a five-speed manual and a four-speed automatic. The decision to introduce a new
hatchback is a bit surprising as Car and Driver noted sales of the existing
Yaris Liftback have been dreadful. Last year, the automaker only sold 1,940
Liftbacks in the United States which makes it rarer than the Lexus LC. The
sedan, on the other hand, did significantly better as Toyota was able to sell
25,269 units last year.
The 2020 Yaris Hatchback is slated to debut at the
New York Auto Show which kicks off on April 17th.
