The 2021 Toyota Yaris Hatchback is the fourth generation of Toyota’s subcompact car, known internally as the XP210 series. Toyota unveiled it on 16 October 2019 at simultaneous events in Japan and Amsterdam, began selling it in Japan on 10 February 2020, and started European deliveries in the summer of that year. It is a five-door hatchback only. Despite the model-year label, the car was engineered for Japan, Europe and Australasia, and it was never offered in the United States, where Toyota had already decided to end Yaris sales.
Why There Was No 2021 Yaris in the US
The 2021 Yaris Hatchback was not an American car, and the reason is straightforward. Toyota discontinued the US-market Yaris after the 2020 model year. Both the Yaris sedan and the Yaris Hatchback were phased out, and 2020 was the last model year for each; the American cars were restyled versions of the Mazda2, developed and built by Mazda, rather than the Toyota-engineered machine sold elsewhere. A corporate memo confirmed that neither body style would be available for model year 2021. Buyers looking for a comparable new Toyota afterward had the Corolla and Corolla Hatchback as the entry point. The XP210 described in this article is therefore a European, Japanese and Australasian model, not a US one.
The GA-B Platform and the New Exterior
The XP210 Yaris was the first Toyota to use the GA-B variant of the company’s Toyota New Global Architecture. Moving to the new platform let Toyota make the car lower, wider and stiffer while keeping its footprint small. Chief engineer Yasunori Suezawa led development, and Toyota has said chief executive Akio Toyoda delayed the launch by a year in 2015 so the GA-B underpinnings could be reworked to cut weight and cost. The standard car is a five-door only; the three-door body was reserved for the later performance model, the GR Yaris, which was built to World Rally Championship homologation rules.
The exterior adopted what Toyota called a big-small look. Design cues included a larger lower grille carrying the Toyota emblem, a longer hood, new LED headlight and taillight clusters, a rear spoiler and 17-inch alloy wheels on higher trims. The A-pillars were moved rearward to give the roof a more coupe-like profile, and a contrast roof was offered on some European versions. The overall effect was a taller, more stylized hatch than the car it replaced, with a wider stance that came directly from the wider European body.
Dimensions
European versions measure 3,940 mm (155.1 in) long, 1,745 mm (68.7 in) wide and between 1,470 and 1,500 mm tall, riding on a 2,560 mm (100.8 in) wheelbase. The Japanese-built car is narrower, at 1,695 mm (66.7 in), and uses a 2,550 mm wheelbase so that it stays within Japanese compact-car dimension regulations. Curb weight in Japan ranges from roughly 940 to 1,180 kg (2,072 to 2,601 lb), depending on engine and drivetrain.
UK Prices and Trim Levels
When the new Yaris went on sale in Britain it was priced from £19,910 for the entry-level Icon, climbing through Design and Dynamic to the range-topping Excel, with a limited-run Launch Edition offered for a short period. The Dynamic version reviewed by the British motoring press carried a list price of £21,920 before options such as metallic paint. Every version used the same 1.5-liter gasoline-electric hybrid, so the mechanical specification did not change with trim; the differences were equipment and appearance. UK pricing and trim details at launch were reported by Motor1.
What Each Price Bought
The base Icon came with 16-inch alloy wheels, a seven-inch touchscreen infotainment system, a reversing camera, automatic headlights and wipers, automatic air conditioning, smartphone integration and Toyota Safety Sense. The Dynamic added sports seats, part-synthetic leather upholstery, larger 17-inch wheels, dual-zone climate control, keyless entry and a JBL audio system. The Excel sat at the top of the range with features such as automatically folding door mirrors and blind-spot monitoring, while a panoramic glass roof and a separate technology pack were offered as options.
Launch Timeline and Availability
Production of the European car began at Toyota’s Onnaing plant in France on 6 July 2020, and a second European line opened at Kolin in the Czech Republic in November 2021. Australia and New Zealand received the XP210 from August 2020, sourced from Japan, where it replaced the Prius c in those markets. The car went on to be named 2021 European Car of the Year, an honor decided by a jury of European journalists. Related coverage includes the 2021 Toyota Yaris Hatchback Redesign and Release and the 2021 Toyota Yaris Hatchback Review. That award, combined with a five-star Euro NCAP rating, framed the Yaris as a safety and efficiency leader in the supermini class rather than a performance proposition.
Where the 2021 Yaris Was Built
European cars were assembled by Toyota Motor Manufacturing France at Onnaing, near Valenciennes, with production starting on 6 July 2020. From November 2021 a second European source opened at the Kolin plant in the Czech Republic, operated by Toyota Motor Manufacturing Czech Republic. Japanese-market cars came from Toyota Motor East Japan’s Kanegasaki plant in Iwate Prefecture. Building the XP210 in France was notable because it was the first compact Toyota on the company’s New Global Architecture to be manufactured at Onnaing, which had previously built the smaller Aygo.
In Japan the new model also brought a name change. As recently as 2019 the domestic hatchback had been badged Vitz, with the Yaris name reserved mainly for export markets. Toyota switched to Yaris for the 2020 car, citing the nameplate’s rallying fame and a reorganization of its domestic dealer network, and hoping the change would broaden the model’s appeal. Japanese versions kept the narrower 1,695 mm body to stay inside local dimension and tax rules.
How It Differed From the US Yaris
The American Yaris and the XP210 shared a name but little else. For 2020 the US-market sedan and hatchback were restyled versions of the Mazda2, produced by Mazda, and the sedan had first appeared in the US as the Scion iA before Scion was wound down. The 2020 Yaris Hatchback used a 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine making 106 horsepower and 103 lb-ft of torque, coupled to a six-speed automatic, with fuel economy rated at 32 mpg in the city and 40 mpg on the highway. It started at $17,750, while the Yaris sedan began at $15,650.
When Toyota dropped both body styles after 2020, the XP210 hybrid remained a Europe, Japan and Australasia proposition. Toyota did canvass US customers on social media about whether they wanted the new car, and the reaction was largely positive, but the company never imported it. The GR Yaris, the XP210’s three-door performance sibling, was also kept out of the US and Canada.
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_Yaris_(XP210)
- https://uk.motor1.com/news/437252/2021-toyota-yaris-uk-pricing/
- https://www.toyota.com/discontinued-vehicles/yaris-family
- https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a32958759/toyota-confirms-yaris-sedan-hatchback-are-dead-to-us/
- https://www.jdpower.com/automotive-news/toyota-cancels-mazda2-based-yaris-after-2020
- https://global.toyota/en/newsroom/toyota/29933748.html
