Toyota Vitz
| 2004 Toyota Echo Hatchback | |
| Toyota Vitz/Platz/Yaris/Echo | |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer: | Toyota |
| Production: | 1999–present |
| Class: | Subcompact |
| Body Styles: | 3-door hatchback 5-door hatchback 4-door sedan 2-door coupé 5-door minivan |
The Toyota Vitz and Platz are the current models of a small subcompact car produced and marketed by Toyota Motor Corporation, with the Vitz name used for 3- and 5-door hatchbacks, Platz for sedans and Funcargo for a small minivan in Japan. In Europe the hatchback version is sold as the Yaris and the minivan as the Yaris Verso. The hatchbacks and sedans are also sold as the Echo in the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
It went on sale in Europe early in 1999, and migrated to North America first in 2000 under the name of Echo and available only as sedan with 2 or 4 doors. However, after the design of the European Yaris hatchback was slightly refreshed in February 2003, its slightly modified version went on sale in Canada for the 2004 model year as the Echo Hatchback, but it's not sold in the United States. The Yaris was voted European Car of the Year for 2000.
Instead of conventional instruments, the hatchback models of Yaris and Echo utilise digital instruments which are mounted in the centre of the dashboard. The US Echo has a conventional speedometer but it is still mounted in the centre of the dashboard. Space for the driver and front seat passenger is reported to be large for a subcompact, while rear seat legroom can be altered via a sliding rear bench.
The European Yaris was initially available with two gasoline-powered 4-cylinder 1.0 L and 1.3 L engines with Toyota's VVT-i technology, but after the 2003 facelift, a 1.4 L D4-D diesel engine was included into the lineup. This diesel engine is also licensed to BMW for use in their MINI One D model.
The European Yaris T Sport (Vitz RS in Japan) version was introduced in 2001 and is powered by a 1.5 L engine, which also powers the North American Echo models, as well as the Scion xA. The T Sport is marketed as more fun to drive than the base models because of a sportier suspension and an extra 21 hp (15 kW) of power compared to the 1.3 L model.
New to the Yaris range in 2000 was the Yaris Verso, a small minivan which used the same running gear as the conventional hatchback, but was designed to have an even more practical interior. In Japan, the model bears, to English ears, the unusual name of Funcargo.
The running gear is shared with the Toyota bB and Ist, sold in the United States as the Scion xA and xB, and with the Japan-only Toyota Will Vi.
Toyota has recently released a second generation Vitz in Japan. It is highly unlikely that this new model in Echo guise will reach the US due to poor sales of the current model. The European, Australian and New Zealand markets should see the second generation Yaris/Echo towards the end of the 2005. The Platz in Japan has yet to be updated.
Toyota Echo (USA and Canada)
In the United States the Echo has been a rare flop for Toyota. The initial year of almost 50,000 sales was promising, but after the Echo sold just half that many in 2003, the product was no longer stocked at dealerships. Sales for much of the 2004 have reached just 3,593, with another year of production left before the product is replaced.
However, the Echo sells in very high volumes in Canada, where smaller cars are much more popular than in the USA. Sales are so high that Toyota introduced the 3- and 5-door hatchback models to the Canadian Toyota lineup for the 2004 model year. They are sold as the Echo Hatchback and visually almost identical to the European Yaris.
US sales
- 2000 - 48,876
- 2001 - 42,464
- 2002 - 30,859
- 2003 - 26,167
- 2004 - 3,593 (until November)
External links
- Toyota Echo at the official US Toyota website
- Toyota Yaris at the official Toyota Europe website
- Toyota Yaris Verso at the official Toyota Europe website
- AutoGuideWiki.com