2006 YARIS: TOYOTA CANADA ANNOUNCES NAMEPLATE FOR NEW GLOBAL SUBCOMPACT
Toyota Canada Inc. (TCI) today announced that it is bringing a new nameplate to Canada: Yaris. This announcement followed the world debut of the all-new Yaris at the 2005 Frankfurt International Motor Show earlier today. TCI will give Canadians their first look at the 2006 Yaris when the hatchback goes on display September 16 at the Georgian College Auto Show. Visitors are invited to the Toyota area during show hours running from September 16 – 18 in Barrie, Ontario.
Named 2000 Car of the Year when it was introduced in Europe, Yaris immediately became a best-seller. In Canada, where Toyota boasts the top-selling subcompact nameplate, Yaris becomes the ideal new entrant to raise the bar once again, and set a new standard in the popular segment thanks to its dynamic exterior styling, roomy and chic interior, precise handling, class-leading safety features and outstanding fuel economy. With its introduction to North America and other parts of the world, the Toyota Yaris becomes a truly global vehicle with widespread appeal.
With the new Yaris, Toyota expects to redefine the expectations of owners in this highly competitive segment. Traditionally, subcompacts compromised style and performance in order to provide basic functionality at an affordable price. Toyota listened when target owners expressed their desire of wanting a small vehicle for practical reasons, but not wishing to own "sub" anything. The Yaris breaks free of this constraint and is clearly a subcompact that is anything but "sub".
“Yaris has enormous appeal for ‘trend-setting’ owners, who demand a vehicle that expresses their personality without compromising style, quality and handling,” said Tony Wearing, Managing Director of TCI. “Extroverted and active, these are well-educated, technologically savvy consumers who use their access to information to make knowledgeable purchase decisions based on their unique tastes and needs.“
Yaris is the latest creation from ED2, Toyota's European design studio, and the first vehicle sold in Canada to be created entirely using Toyota’s new Vibrant Clarity design principles. ‘Vibrant’ refers to the design’s energy and innovative character; ‘clarity’ stresses rationality, the need to keep the design crisp and easy to interpret at a glance. ED2 has thoughtfully expressed Vibrant Clarity throughout the vehicle to create a design with worldwide appeal, and a character that is instantly recognizable as Toyota.
The minimal front overhang, wide stance, flowing sidelines and streamlined bumpers result in a uniquely proportioned body that is both strong and energetic. The ‘S’-shaped doors are very difficult to engineer but catch and reflect light so that it plays up the design’s refreshing energy. The flowing shoulder line enhances the lively proportions, and the forward-leaning rear silhouette creates a feeling of power and stability.
The ergonomically designed interior package is carefully designed to provide class-leading roominess in a cabin that is highly functional as well as sporty and comfortable. A number of design elements create a sense of eye-catching quality that is uncommon in the class. A ‘Loop Style Concept’ creates a visually open space using a light colour scheme that loops from the door arm rests to the pillars and headliner. The centre instrument cluster uses a vertical layout and an innovative hoodless instrument panel design to create a totally unique appearance that is both sporty and highly functional.
In fact, the Yaris isn’t just great looking; every element has been carefully considered to make it as functional as it is handsome. The unique vertical arrangement of the instruments, for example, also creates more leg room, and the Optitron meters provide excellent visibility. A tilt steering wheel is standard equipment, offering adjustability of driving position for a wide variety of physiques. Rear seating space is best-in-class, and the flat rear floor means three rear passengers all ride in comfort. The frame and fabric of the new seats have been designed to make them more comfortable and less likely to cause fatigue on long trips.
Generous rear cargo space is complemented by 12 smart storage spaces within the cabin, designed to be convenient and easy to reach, especially those intended for use by the driver.
Yaris will be sold in both 3- and 5-door hatchback configuration, and come in three trim levels including CE, LE, and the sporty RS grade. Furthermore, Yaris is equipped with an exceptional range of standard and optional equipment, and comes in a host of vibrant colours including three never-before seen shades: copper orange mica, bayou blue metallic and blazing blue metallic.
· Lively and fun to drive, Yaris is equipped with a
106 horsepower, 1.5-litre, 4-cylinder engine with Variable Valve Timing-intelligent (VVT-i) that provides class-leading power and acceleration. Plenty of muscle and torque in the low to medium rpm ranges mean lively response at all speeds, and the engine is mated to either a standard 5-speed manual transmission or optional 4-speed electronically controlled automatic.
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Maneuverability and handling are also enhanced by a suspension developed specifically to take full advantage of the Yaris’s new platform. A new L-arm MacPherson strut front suspension and a new rear suspension with a highly rigid torsion beam ensure excellent turning and straight-line stability. Anti-dive and anti-squat geometry suppress changes in vehicle posture during braking and acceleration. Shock absorbers with a newly developed valve ensure smooth damping characteristics and the total effect is a driving experience that can be exhilarating without losing its composure. Not a typical subcompact.
· Yaris is rated as an Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle 2 (ULEVII), and provides
exceptional fuel economy. It is also designed minimize the impact of the total vehicle life cycle on the environment. Fewer materials that burden the environment are used in the interior, and a water-based base coat is used on the body.
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Advanced safety features include outstanding protection for both occupants and pedestrians. The body was created using Toyota’s Minimum Intrusion Cabin System (MICS) that provides excellent impact force absorption and dispersion to minimize cabin deformation during a collision. In addition, the pedestrian-injury-lessening body structure is designed to reduce head injuries to pedestrians. In Europe, the Yaris achieved an outstanding Euro NCAP four star rating, earning 29 out of a maximum of 34 points, making it the safest car in its class. Yaris is also equipped with Whiplash Impact Lessening seats, standard airbags and available ABS.
· The new Yaris can be
customized with several option packages, or by choosing from nearly 50 accessories that can be selected individually to create a totally unique package. Because the target customer for Yaris tends to be highly net-savvy, Toyota will offer them the chance to build their dream Yaris using the accessory configurator at
www.toyota.ca (available at time of launch), and look at the results, inside and out, from a full 360 degrees. Customers can price their selection on the ‘Price Your Toyota’ section of the website, and then take this information directly to a dealer, knowing exactly what they want and how much it will cost.
Canadian car buyers will get to experience the new Yaris in advance of drivers in both Europe and the United States when it goes on sale here this fall, taking the place of best-selling Echo Hatchback. Pricing will be announced closer to the on-sale date.
Preliminary Specifications
Configurations: 3-door CE hatchback
3-door LE hatchback
3-door RS hatchback
5-door LE hatchback
5-door RS hatchback
Engine: 1.5 L, 4-cyl. with Variable Valve Timing-intelligent (VVT-i)
Horsepower: 106 hp at 6,000 rpm
Torque: 103 lb. ft. at 4,200 rpm
Wheelbase: 2,460 mm (96.9 in.)
Length: 3,825 mm (150.6 in.)
Width: 1,695 mm (66.7 in.)
Height: 1,525 mm (60.0 in.)
Cargo capacity: 0.228 m3 (8.1 cu. ft.)
Tire: CE and LE: P175/65R14 all season tires with full wheel cover
RS: P185/60R15 all season tires will aluminum alloy wheels
Note: All information is preliminary and subject to change prior to launch of vehicle
BACKGROUNDER ON ‘VIBRANT CLARITY’ – TOYOTA’S NEW GLOBAL DESIGN DIRECTION
‘Quality, dependability and reliability’ are the well-known attributes that have propelled Toyota into the front ranks of auto-makers around the world. Now, the manufacturer is adding a new dimension to the list: Vibrant Clarity.
Vibrant Clarity is a new design ethos that will infuse future vehicles with a completely original identity and emotional intensity that will be uniquely identifiable as Toyota. The word ‘vibrant’ refers to the forward-looking, innovative nature of the new designs, and the feeling of energy they impart to the customer. ‘Clarity’ stresses the rationality in the design equation, the need to keep the design crisp and easy to interpret at a glance. Through this combination, Toyota intends to bring form and function together under the same package.
Toyota has always focused on achieving the optimal design solution for each of its many models, but the result has been a lack of focus throughout the total lineup. The Vibrant Clarity philosophy will be used as a unifying concept, to create a clearer brand identity for Toyota, while acknowledging that each product category has its own specific design needs.
At the heart of Vibrant Clarity, and the element that will contribute most to making the new designs truly distinctive, is something Toyota calls the “J-Factor”.
Japanese culture and heritage will play a crucial role in distinguishing Toyota’s new designs from those of any other manufacturer. The J-Factor – which informs both Toyota Vibrant Clarity and Lexus L-Finesse designs – begins with the ancient Japanese concept of simple, balanced design and combines it with the complexity of modern technology and the rapid pace of modern life.
The result for Toyota with the Vibrant Clarity design philosophy is a series of apparent paradoxes that work together to reconcile contrasting design forces:
· Perfect Imbalance – a sense of controlled risk;
· Symbolic Simplicity – the clear expression of each design concept; and
· Freeform Geometrics – a challenge to the belief that crisply expressed surfaces cannot have a powerful emotional impact.
While the J-Factor begins with a uniquely Japanese premise, it is being influenced and interpreted by designers at Toyota design centres around the world. This means that a broad range of cultural sensibilities influences models created using the principles of Vibrant Clarity.
The first tangible expression of Vibrant Clarity designs will be the 2006 Yaris which goes on sale in Canada this fall. This vehicle demonstrates both the strength and stability of the new design direction, and the increased intensity that comes from a slightly forward stance.
Because Toyota has such a large and varied product range, it will take time to migrate the design principles of Vibrant Clarity throughout the lineup. It incorporates all the rational core values that have driven Toyota’s success in the past, and takes the company into the future with a whole new sense of originality and vitality.
2006 Yaris: Toyota Canada Announces Nameplate For New Global Subcompact
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