Toyota Patents Designs of Sport Version of New Yaris in Europe

Toyota introduced a new generation of the Yaris supermini in Japan (named Vitz for the local market) in December, 2010, and is also planning to showcase a thinly disguised concept of an upcoming hybrid version of the supermini at the Geneva Motor Show, which will be held for the public from March 3 to 13. But as these trademark fillings from Europe prove, the company is also working on a sport variant, most likely as a replacement to the Yaris TS. The model seen in these patent designs features a full body kit with a new front bumper that replaces the standard Yaris' front grille with openings next to the headlamps while also boasting daytime LED strips, side skirts and profile graphics, a redesigned rear bumper housing a prominent diffuser, and bespoke tail lamps. The new roof spoiler and the multispoke alloy wheels sum up the differences over the regular Yaris. It only makes sense that if this is the new Yaris TS, it will get a more powerful engine, hopefully something with a bit more oomph than the current model's lackluster 133HP 1.8-liter gasoline engine. Toyota will also upgrade the car's suspension and brake systems to improve handling.


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What a Charade...Daihatsu Takes Toyota Yaris Leftovers to Create a New Model

Daihatsu may be getting ready to pull out of the European market, but as a last call, the Japanese firm will introduce one more model to its range, the new Charade. And as you've probably guessed by now, the “new” Charade is in fact a Daihatsu-badged version of the outgoing Toyota Yaris, the successor of which, has already been introduced in Japan and will be showcased through a hybrid study in Geneva. The Charade will be available exclusively with a 1.33-liter gasoline engine delivering 99 ponies, mated to a six-speed manual gearbox as standard, with the option of an automatic gearbox. Daihatsu's rebadged Yaris will be offered with two equipment levels and the starting price is expected to be below that of its Toyota twin. Toyota's small car subsidiary announced its decision to abandon the European market from January 31 2013, last December. The move was attributed to the increasing development costs to comply with emissions regulations in Europe, as well as the “appreciation of the yen against the Euro''. In short, Daihatsu decided it was no longer profitable to sell Japanese-made cars in Europe. The firm's sale results didn't help either, with the company moving a mere 19.300 units in 2010 in ten European markets, which accounted for just 5.3 percent of the brand's global sales.