Yaris gets a hurry-up

[omn1potent]

Yaris gets a hurry-up

Reference: - http://carsguide.news.com.au/story/0,20384...4-21822,00.html

Quick smart: Toyota has cut the arrival time for its Yaris sedan from the middle of the year back to April 2006.

13 January 2006

Paul Gover

Another newcomer is being fast-tracked to Australia. Porsche has already brought forward the on-road date for its Cayman sports car and now Toyota has cut the planned lead time for its Yaris sedan.

It will be on the road in April after a preview at the Melbourne Motor Show next month, alongside the new RAV4.

When the Yaris hatchback went on sale last year it was an instant success, adding impetus to the early arrival for the sedan.

It also helps that the newcomer is fairly attractive, unlike the boot-ugly Echo sedan it will replace.

The Echo was a cultural collision created when the European-designed hatch was turned into a sedan for sale in the US by designers who were not involved in the original project.

"Some people in the industry have indicated that the current offering is not very stylish. The Yaris is much more stylish," Toyota Australia executive director of sales and marketing David Buttner says. "It has much more European styling cues and is a bit roomier."

The Yaris sedan was not originally due here until mid-year, but Toyota Australia is chasing showroom opportunity as it shoots for a fourth straight year of sales leadership.

"We believe the market opportunity is there. We have the volume to support an earlier launch," Buttner says.

The Yaris is roomier than the Echo it replaced and has better quality. The sedan should be more of the same.

Toyota Australia admits there is potential for the Yaris sedan to steal sales from the Corolla because it is bigger than the Echo and the larger car is coming to the end of its life.

There is no news yet on the price or specification of the Yaris sedan, though Toyota has usually charged more for boosted versions.

[CORZZA]

Man that looks like the mazda 3!!!

[xoom]

even though i cant see the rear of it ..... U r right peter that front end has Mazda 3 written all over it

[CORZZA]

even though i cant see the rear of it ..... U r right peter that front end has Mazda 3 written all over it

Yeah thought so!

The rear will probably be echo style.