Toyota Touts Euro-Feel of ’15 Yaris
Production shifts from France to Mexico for subcompact models sold in the U.S.
Toyota touts the “Euro-feel” of its redesigned ’15 Yaris.
That’s ironic, considering its Japanese roots. Then again, Yaris subcompacts sold in the U.S. are French-made. But not for long.
Production moves to Mexico for U.S.-bound models. Toyota is contracting with Mazda to build the third-generation Yaris off Mazda’s SKYACTIV-B platform at a Salamanca plant. It opened in January. Mazda also builds Mazda2 and Mazda3 models there.
Toyota started importing the diminutive Yaris to the U.S. in 2007 amid fast-rising gasoline prices. The automaker pitched the first-generation Yaris as a no-frills fuel sipper.
But today’s buyers want more, says Bill Fay, group vice president and general manager of the Toyota Div. at Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A.
Although the new Yaris falls short of reaching stardom, Toyota has outfitted it for a greater supporting role in the lineup.
“We wanted to make it sportier,” Fay says. “We listened to customers, and went back to the drawing board to give them what they want.”
He cites interior upgrades and more aggressive styling, including a bolder grille designed to convey “attitude.”
Other changes: a retuned suspension, a more rigid body structure from 36 additional spot welds and more sound insulation.
Like its predecessors, the ’15 Yaris comes in 3-door and 5-door liftback versions.
A 1.5L, 4-cyl. engine produces 106 hp at 6,000 rpm and 103 lb.-ft. (140 Nm) of torque at 4,200 rpm. Transmission offerings are a standard 5-speed manual and an optional 4-speed automatic.
Manufacturer’s suggested retail prices range from $14,845 for the three-door L with the shift-it-yourself transmission to $17,620 for the 5-door SE with the automatic.
The debut of the redesigned Yaris comes on the heels of competitor Honda introducing an all-new Fit to the lower-small-car segment earlier this year.
Last year, the Fit outsold the Yaris in the U.S. by 53,513 to 21,342 units. Top seller was the Kia Soul (118,079) followed by the Nissan Versa (117,352) in a segment with 618,058 total sales, according to WardsAuto.
This year through September, U.S. deliveries of the Yaris were 10,339 units, down from 19,254 during the same period last year. But that drop primarily stems from the wind-down for the new model and the production shift to Mexico, leaving the Smart Fortwo as the only French-made vehicle sold in the U.S.
Although its U.S. sales are relatively low compared with some Toyota blockbusters, the Yaris helps the automaker meet government CAFE fuel-economy standards. The Yaris gets up to 37 mpg (6.4L/100 km).
“An automaker needs small cars like that in its lineup for that reason,” auto analyst Joe Phillippi, president of AutoTrends, tells WardsAuto.
Toyota will continue to build the Yaris in France for the European market. Models sold in Japan are made there. The car also is made in China and elsewhere.
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