The 2021 Toyota Yaris Hatchback is the fourth-generation XP210 Yaris, and by the time it reached showrooms most of the speculation that surrounded it had been settled. Prototypes were photographed testing at the Nurburgring in Germany in July 2019, wearing the outgoing car’s bodywork, and the production model was unveiled on 16 October 2019. This article separates what was rumored before launch from what Toyota actually delivered: a hybrid-led supermini built for Europe, Japan and Australasia and not sold in North America.
What Was Known Before Launch
Spy photographs from mid-2019 showed a new Yaris testing at the Nurburgring and, separately, in GR Sport and hybrid guises. The widely repeated expectation was that the car would move to Toyota’s TNGA platform, specifically the small-car GA-B variant already earmarked for the next Yaris. That part of the rumor was correct. Toyota has since confirmed that chief executive Akio Toyoda had delayed the program by a year in 2015 to rework the GA-B platform, which had been larger, heavier and more expensive than intended because it shared too many parts with bigger TNGA cars.
The Reality: A Hybrid-Led Range
In Europe the new Yaris launched with a 1.5-liter three-cylinder gasoline-electric hybrid as the headline powertrain, and several markets offered it exclusively as a hybrid. A conventional 1.5-liter three-cylinder gasoline engine and a small 1.0-liter three-cylinder were available in some countries, but the hybrid was the version Toyota promoted. Reports in 2019 also anticipated a performance variant, and that arrived as the GR Yaris, a separate three-door model with a 1.6-liter turbocharged triple and all-wheel drive.
Exterior Design
The production exterior used a larger lower grille with the Toyota emblem set low, a longer hood and new LED lighting front and rear. Body dimensions grew in width and the wheelbase stretched to 2,560 mm (100.8 in) in Europe, while overall length stayed compact at 3,940 mm (155.1 in). Only a five-door hatchback body was offered on the standard car; the three-door layout went to the GR Yaris. The result was a wider, lower stance than the outgoing model.
Prices
In the UK the range opened at £19,910 for the Icon trim, rising to £21,920 for the Dynamic tested by reviewers, with Design and Excel sitting between them and a limited Launch Edition on top. Every trim shared the same hybrid powertrain, so the price ladder reflected equipment rather than performance. A seven-inch touchscreen, reversing camera and Toyota Safety Sense were fitted from the base car upward.
Which Markets Actually Got It
The XP210 went on sale in Japan on 10 February 2020, in Europe from the summer of 2020, and in Australia and New Zealand from August 2020. It was never sold in the United States. Toyota had ended Yaris sales there after the 2020 model year, and the American Yaris of that era was a Mazda2-based car rather than this Toyota-engineered model. So the 2021 Yaris Hatchback that the rumors pointed to was a European and Japanese car, and buyers in North America never got the chance to order one. The car’s development is covered in the 2021 Toyota Yaris Hatchback Redesign and Release, and its launch and pricing in the 2021 Toyota Yaris Hatchback Review.
The Interior the Rumors Missed
Pre-launch coverage focused on the platform and the engines, but the interior was where the XP210 changed most noticeably. Toyota lowered the dashboard, moved the A-pillars rearward for better visibility and used softer materials on the surfaces the driver touches. A seven-inch touchscreen with smartphone mirroring and a reversing camera was standard from the base trim. Every car carried Toyota Safety Sense, and the Yaris was the first Toyota to add a center airbag between the front seats. Euro NCAP tested the car in 2020 and awarded it five stars.
The GR Yaris Performance Model
Rumors of a hot version proved correct, though it was a separate model rather than a Yaris trim. The GR Yaris is a three-door hatchback built to satisfy World Rally Championship homologation rules, using the front of the XP210’s GA-B platform and the rear of the GA-C platform from the Corolla. Its turbocharged 1.6-liter three-cylinder produces between 257 and 268 horsepower and 360 to 370 Nm, driving through a six-speed manual and a permanent all-wheel-drive system. Toyota quotes a 0-62 mph time of 5.2 to 5.5 seconds and a limited top speed of 143 mph. It was not sold in the US or Canada.
The Name Change and the Market It Served
In Japan the XP210 replaced the Vitz nameplate outright, a first for the domestic hatchback, which had been called Vitz since 1999. Toyota cited the Yaris name’s rallying association and a unified dealer network as reasons for the switch. The car was engineered for narrow European and Japanese streets, which is why the standard version stays a five-door only and why Japanese cars are narrower than the European ones.
Performance and Efficiency
In European trim the Yaris Hybrid reached 62 mph from rest in about 9.7 seconds and went on to a top speed near 109 mph. On the WLTP combined cycle a Dynamic-trim car returned roughly 65.6 mpg with 98 g/km of carbon dioxide in British testing, while Toyota quoted better figures for lighter hybrid grades. The conventional 1.0-liter and 1.5-liter gasoline versions were slower and used more fuel. These are the verified numbers behind the pre-launch talk, and they confirmed the hybrid as the version that defined the XP210.
Where It Was Built
European cars came from Toyota’s Onnaing plant in France starting on 6 July 2020, with a second European factory at Kolin in the Czech Republic joining in November 2021. Japanese-market cars were built by Toyota Motor East Japan at Kanegasaki. Australia and New Zealand were supplied from Japan, where the model also took over from the Prius c in those markets.
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://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_GR_Yaris
