The 2021 Toyota Yaris is the fourth-generation XP210 model, and its launch timeline is now a matter of record rather than speculation. Toyota revealed the car on 16 October 2019, put it on sale in Japan on 10 February 2020 and in Europe from the summer of 2020, and added Australia and New Zealand from August 2020. Before that, prototypes were caught testing at the Nurburgring in July 2019. This article covers the release dates, the engine specifications and how the pre-launch rumors lined up with the finished car.
Release Date and Launch Timeline
The production Yaris made its world premiere on 16 October 2019, with simultaneous unveilings in Japan and in Amsterdam. The Japanese market launch followed on 10 February 2020, when the Yaris nameplate replaced the long-running Vitz. European production started at Toyota’s Onnaing plant in France on 6 July 2020, and a second European factory at Kolin in the Czech Republic joined in November 2021. Australasia received the car from August 2020, sourced from Japan. There was no North American launch, because Toyota ended US Yaris sales after the 2020 model year.
How the Rumors Compared With the Reality
When spy photographs appeared in mid-2019, the expectation was that the new Yaris would adopt Toyota’s TNGA small-car architecture, then still being rolled out. That proved correct: the XP210 was the first Toyota on the GA-B variant. Toyota later confirmed that chief executive Akio Toyoda delayed the program by a year in 2015 to rework the platform, which had been heavier and costlier than targeted. Reports also predicted a hybrid-led range and a performance model, both of which arrived, the latter as the GR Yaris.
Engine Specifications
Three engines were cataloged. The base unit was a 996 cc three-cylinder (1KR-FE) making about 69 horsepower in Japan and 72 horsepower in Europe. A 1,490 cc three-cylinder (M15A-FKS) produced about 121 horsepower in European trim. The hybrid combined a 1,490 cc Atkinson-cycle three-cylinder (M15A-FXE) rated at 91 to 93 horsepower with a 59 kW electric motor for 116 horsepower combined, drawing on a 177.6-volt lithium-ion battery. Transmissions ranged across a five-speed manual, a six-speed manual, the K120 CVT with a physical first gear and an eCVT for the hybrid.
Performance and Efficiency
In European specification the hybrid accelerated from zero to 62 mph in roughly 9.7 seconds and reached a top speed of about 109 mph. Eurekar’s road test of a Dynamic-trim hybrid recorded around 65.6 mpg on the WLTP combined cycle with 98 g/km of carbon dioxide. Toyota quoted figures as low as 92 g/km for lighter hybrid models, and the company fitted the car with a center airbag, the first such feature in a Toyota, to bolster side-impact protection.
Where the 2021 Yaris Was Sold
The XP210 was a European, Japanese and Australasian model. It was never sold in the United States or Canada, even though Toyota asked US customers on social media whether they wanted it. The American Yaris of the period was a Mazda2-based car, and it was discontinued after 2020, leaving the Corolla as Toyota’s entry model there. For readers in markets that did receive the XP210, the 2021 Yaris was a hybrid-first supermini with a redesigned cabin and a five-star Euro NCAP rating.
Assembly and the Vitz Name Change
European production of the XP210 began at Toyota’s Onnaing plant in France on 6 July 2020, with a second European line opening at Kolin in the Czech Republic in November 2021. Japanese cars were built by Toyota Motor East Japan at Kanegasaki in Iwate Prefecture. In Japan the car replaced the Vitz nameplate outright, the first time the domestic hatchback had been called Yaris, a change Toyota attributed to the name’s rallying recognition and to its reorganized dealer network.
Interior and Safety Equipment
The cabin was lowered and widened, with the A-pillars pushed rearward and softer materials replaced the harder plastics of the previous car. A seven-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a reversing camera and Bluetooth were standard, and Toyota Safety Sense included pre-collision braking, adaptive cruise control and lane-keeping assistance. The XP210 was the first Toyota fitted with a center airbag, and Euro NCAP gave it five stars in 2020.
Later Updates to the Range
The line-up did not stand still. Europe gained a GR Sport trim in December 2021 and the more powerful Hybrid 130 powertrain in May 2023, while Japan received facelifts and special editions in later years. Early buyers who wanted the maximum specification of the 2021 car chose the Excel trim, which added features such as auto-folding mirrors and blind-spot monitoring above the mid-range Dynamic. The 2021 Toyota Yaris Review covers the cabin in more detail, and the 2021 Toyota Yaris Hatchback Engine Specs and Performance expands on the powertrains.
Prices When the Car Launched
In the UK the Yaris Hybrid went on sale from £19,910 for the base Icon, rising through Design to a £21,920 Dynamic and on to the Excel at the top of the range, with a limited Launch Edition offered briefly. Because the UK range used only the hybrid powertrain, the price steps reflected equipment rather than engine size. Metallic paint was a £585 option on the Dynamic tested by the press.
The GR Yaris Sibling
Alongside the standard car Toyota developed the GR Yaris, a three-door performance model that shares the front of the XP210’s GA-B platform but pairs it with the rear of the Corolla’s GA-C architecture. Its turbocharged 1.6-liter three-cylinder produces 257 to 268 horsepower and drives all four wheels through a six-speed manual, with a claimed 0-62 mph time of 5.2 to 5.5 seconds. Like the standard Yaris, it was not offered in the US or Canada.
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_Yaris_(XP210)
- https://uk.motor1.com/news/437252/2021-toyota-yaris-uk-pricing/
- https://www.eurekar.co.uk/articles/2021-04-10/toyota-yaris-1-5-hybrid-dynamic
- 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
