Toyota today announces a series of improvements and enhancements that will further strengthen its Yaris Hybrid hatchback range, increasing the market appeal of a model range that has proved an outstanding success for the brand. A significant programme of performance, safety and styling upgrades will ensure the model presents class-leading qualities in its area of the highly competitive B-segment in Europe.
As well as strengthening the power and performance of the hybrid electric powertrain to give European customers more choice and increasing the scope of the advanced active safety and driver assistance systems, Toyota is introducing a completely new digital dimension to the car. The comprehensive package includes a customisable driver’s instrument display, a more powerful and intuitive multimedia system, convenient and stable connectivity and, for the first time, a hands-free digital key to access and start the car.
Built in Europe for European customers, the new Yaris will reinforce the model’s long-established reputation for innovation and excellence in small car design and engineering.
MORE POWER AND MORE REWARDING DRIVE
The latest updates made to the Yaris’ full hybrid electric powertrain are central to the model’s enhanced appeal, delivering both higher performance and a more engaging and fun to drive experience. These qualities are increasingly important to prospective B-segment customers, especially those seeking to downsize their choice of car. With the New Yaris, customers can now choose from two hybrid powertrains to suit their needs while still benefitting from the Yaris’ class-leading environmental performance.
When the 1.5-litre system made its debut, it was praised by media and motorists alike for its exceptional fuel and emissions efficiency and how it enabled the car to be driven for longer and further in all-electric EV mode. By deploying the transaxle from the latest, fifth generation of Toyota’s market-leading hybrid electric technology, it now offers more power, more torque and more rewarding driveability.
A new transaxle with a larger and more powerful electric motor-generator and revisions to the power control unit’s (PCU) software and hardware raised total system output by 12%, from 116 DIN hp/85 kW to 130 DIN hp/96 kW. There’s a significant hike in torque, too, with the maximum torque of the electrical MG2 motor increased by 30% across the total rev band, from 141 Nm to 185 Nm.
This translates into a noticeably faster acceleration, not just for the 0-100 km/h sprint, but more importantly for nimbler progress at overtaking speeds. Half a second has been taken off the 0-100 km/h time (9.2 seconds), and there’s also a reduction when moving from 80 to 120 km/h (7.5 seconds). These gains have been secured with only a modest upshift in CO2 emissions; the Yaris retains its best-in-class status in this regard, with 96-116 g/km.
Of course, adding power is just part of the story. It’s how the driver experiences the car’s performance that makes the real difference. With the increase in torque delivered at all engine speeds, the result is a stronger, more responsive and more dynamic feel.
The hybrid electric powertrain is the number one deciding factor for people choosing to buy Yaris. By adding increased performance to the mix, its appeal will be even greater – smooth and nimble around town and poised and confident on the open road.
With the new “dual hybrid” powertrain product offering in the New Yaris line-up, customers can choose between the well-established Yaris hybrid powertrain with best-in-class environmental performance with the “Hybrid 115” or the new hybrid powertrain delivering higher performance while maintaining its environmental leadership in the segment with the “Hybrid 130” (“130” in reference to the power increased to 130 DIN hp/96 kW).
All Yaris Premiere Edition and GR SPORT grades will be equipped with the “Hybrid 130” as standard, while some markets in Europe will offer the higher performance powertrain in High grade1.
TOYOTA T-MATE MAKING DRIVING SAFER AND EASIER
With its wealth of active and passive safety equipment and vehicle design, the current generation Yaris was always developed to be the safest small car in the world. Toyota is introducing additional and enhanced safety features to further enhance the Yaris’ safety leadership with the new Yaris.
Toyota T-Mate is the umbrella term for the advanced features that make a car safer, easier to drive and park. In the new Yaris, these features are more effective than ever, with additional and enhanced functions. These include the latest generation Toyota Safety Sense driver assistance systems.
In its mission ultimately to eliminate road traffic accidents, Toyota provides advanced technology features as standard with the Yaris – features that are often extra-cost options or simply not available on other B-segment models.
Thanks to its new multimedia system and data communications module (DCM), Toyota provides the flexibility and convenience of software updates delivered over-the-air. This means the Toyota Safety Sense and multimedia functions can be seamlessly upgraded, with no need for the car to be taken to a service centre. Downloads can take place while the car is being driven, ready for installation when it’s convenient for the driver.
Using a new camera and radar which can scan further and wider than before allows for a significant increase in the scope of accident risk detection. For example, the Pre-Collision System (PCS) can now recognise a potential head-on impact and a wider range of objects and vehicles in the car’s path, including pedestrians, cyclists and now also motorcycles.
Acceleration Suppression is a new addition to the Toyota Safety Sense portfolio. This intervenes to slow any sudden acceleration when it recognises the risk of a collision with a vehicle ahead.
Proactive Driving Assist (PDA) is another new feature, designed to help avoid familiar accident hazards when driving at low speed. Deceleration Assist provides smooth deceleration when the driver comes off the accelerator to slow down when approaching a slower vehicle ahead, or entering a bend. The second element is Steering Assist, which recognises a bend in the road ahead and adjusts steering force to help the driver make a smooth and stable turn.
The new Emergency Driving Stop System (EDSS) is able to support the driver, should they be taken ill or incapacitated when Lane Trace Assist (LTA) is activated. If the system detects the driver has made no inputs – steering, braking, accelerating – for a certain amount of time, it will sound a warning. If there is no reaction from the driver, it will bring the car to a gentle stop, activate the hazard lights and unlock the doors.
Toyota T-Mate also provides protection when the car is stationary. With the optional Safe Exit Assist (SEA), a visual and audio warning system helps to prevent the door being opened inadvertently into the path of vehicles and cyclists approaching from the rear. And the Rear Seat Reminder System (RSRS) will alert the driver via visual and acoustic notifications if they have left a child or pet on the back seat, helping avoid the risk of “hot car” incidents.
As well as these extra functions, new Yaris also benefits from upgrades to its established Toyota Safety Sense features. The Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) has been revised to respond more quickly and operate with a more natural feel. For example, when another vehicle moves into the Yaris’ lane, deceleration is more gradual. The driver can also select a longer vehicle-to-vehicle distance setting for a more comfortable gap and the system’s curve speed reduction is activated earlier, giving smoother speed control.
New systems have been added to the Adaptive Cruise Control for safer overtaking: Overtake Prevention Support prevents unintentional overtaking on the wrong side of a vehicle (“undertaking”); and Preliminary Deceleration/Turn Signal Linked Control helps the driver safely re-join the traffic lane at an appropriate speed and distance from other vehicles.
The Lane Departure Alert (LDA) now recognises when the driver has moved out of lane while trying to avoid an obstacle (pedestrian or other road users) and temporarily cancels the Lane Departure Warning. The lane-centring function of the Lane Trace Assist (LTA) has also been changed so that the car will deliver a more natural-feeling. The Road Sign Assist has been enhanced so just a one-touch adjustment of the speed limiter is required to match traffic sign information.
A NEW DIGITAL USER EXPERIENCE
Toyota has also targeted a best-in-class proposition with completely new digital user experience for the new Yaris. This takes in both a customisable driver’s instrument display and a faster and more powerful multimedia system with added functionality. The displays – seven or 12.3-inch for the combimeter, nine or 10.5-inch for the multimedia screen, according to model grade – are class-leading in terms of size.
The 12.3-inch digital combimeter presents dials, information and graphics in sharp definition for good visibility in all light levels. Their appearance is customisable to suit the driver’s mood and the type of journey with up to four options: Smart, Casual, Sporty and Tough.
The seven-inch version is standard on Mid+, while the 12.3-inch is featured on High, GR SPORT and Premiere Edition grades.
The new-to-Yaris Toyota Smart Connect multimedia system has a more intuitive and reactive interface and provides cloud-based navigation as standard. This “always connected” system ensures journey planning benefits from up-to-the-moment information on routes, traffic and delays.
The system takes spoken commands to another level with a voice recognition system and “Hey Toyota” voice agent that respond to more natural forms of speech. For example, simply state “Hey Toyota, I’m cold” and the system will automatically raise the climate control temperature.
Ease of connectivity is a customer priority and new Yaris enables wireless smartphone integration using both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. And, as with the Toyota Safety Sense systems, upgrades and new functions for the multimedia system can be applied over-the-air without additional trips to the service centre.
EASY ACCESS WITH SMART DIGITAL KEY
The digital transformation of new Yaris includes the first availability of a smart digital key. Linked to the MyT app, this gives up to five users access to the vehicle using their smartphone. It’s designed for complete convenience, so users can lock, unlock or start their vehicle without having to take their phone out of their bag or pocket.
This new feature further expands the MyT functions, which include remote locking/unlocking, climate control operation and activation of the hazard lights for easy vehicle identification in a crowded parking.
The digital key is compatible with both Apple and Android devices and a one-year connection is included in the car’s purchase price as standard on Premiere Edition and as an option on GR SPORT and Mid grades.
REFRESHED STYLING AND YARIS PREMIERE EDITION
At launch, the new Yaris range will include a special Premiere Edition version, a halo model that showcases the model’s full range of new features. This will be offered with a new dedicated Neptune Blue bi-tone paintwork with a contrast black roof and pillars. The blue theme is repeated in contrast seat upholstery stitching and deco lines on the instrument and door panels, plus newly designed 17-inch black machined alloy wheels. The Premiere Edition will also be available in bi-tone Platinum Pearl White or Silver Metallic paintwork.
The Mid and Mid+ Yaris models also sport new five-spoke alloy wheel designs, in silver or machined finishes respectively. Interior seat upholstery has also been refreshed with a new pattern. A new Juniper Blue paint option will be available across the Yaris range.
In other respects, new Yaris retains the muscular, “condensed agile” lines that distinguish it from other B-segment models and give it the sense of being full of energy and dynamism and always ready-to-go. Its sporty profile is made possible thanks to its GA-B platform: overall height and length are compact, but the wheelbase and front and rear tracks are generous, giving a planted look and helping secure good cabin space. The short overhangs add to the Yaris’ nimble character in urban driving, giving the car a suitably tight 5.2 m turning radius (with 16-inch wheels) – ideal for city streets and tight parking spaces.
The interior follows a “less is more” concept. It’s a sharply designed space that has
the high sensory quality and spacious feel of a car from a class above. Details include soft-touch padding across the dashboard; soft felt inserts in the door panels; a wide front console; a low-set hood for the driver’s instrument binnacle; and a small-diameter, sporty steering wheel.
YARIS: A HISTORY OF HIGH ACHIEVEMENT
The Yaris is one of the most successful models in Toyota’s history, its worldwide sales have passed through the 10 million mark in 2023. That achievement shows how this small car has delivered on its original promise of bringing “big-small” thinking to the market for B-segment models for a compact and purposeful-looking car but spacious on the inside.
With the first-generation hatchback having scooped both Car of the Year titles at the turn of the Millennium in Europe and Japan, the Yaris has consistently set benchmarks for performance and technology, not least in becoming the first car in its class to be offered with hybrid electric power in the third generation. Constant improvement and a deep understanding of the changing customer preferences and priorities have seen the Yaris remain at the top of its game. Its consistently strong appeal and class-leading qualities saw the current, fourth-generation model honoured with another Car of the Year award in 2021.
The Yaris’ evolution has seen the range grow from its core hatchback to include today’s Yaris Cross compact SUV and the high-performance GR Yaris, a car developed directly with the skills and experience gained from Toyota GAZOO Racing’s multiple title-winning success in the World Rally Championship.
“Toyota is a Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Toyota City, Aichi, Japan. It was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda and incorporated on August 28, 1937. Toyota is one of the largest automobile manufacturers in the world, producing about 10 million vehicles per year.”
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