UMW Toyota Motor’s website features 2019 Yaris; suggests a close launch

KUALA LUMPUR: As confirmed in February this year, Malaysian car enthusiast will see a hatchback version of Vios sedan shortly. And the car has just appeared on the UMW Toyota Motor’s website that further ensures this fact. No doubt, the ‘Vios hatchback’ is nothing but Yaris itself.

Yaris is currently sold in Indonesia and Thailand. When compared side by side with 2019 Toyota Vios, there is almost nothing to differentiate the upcoming Yaris from the sedan. To recall, Toyota Vios was previewed back in November 2018 and was finally launched in January this year.

To start with the exterior, the car features a large dark metal grille at the front. Above the metal grille, it gets long LED headlamps that cut deep into the quarter panel. The grille is also flanked by fog lamps and ends with a skid at the bottom. Moving upwards, one will notice some strikes on the bonnet that somehow adds a bit of aggressive outfit to the vehicle.

Just like the bonnet, the side profile also gets a few strikes that run along the front and the rear doors. All these features and highlights are also found in Vios.

What differentiates the hatchback from the sedan, in terms of the outfit is that the former comes with blacked out C-pillars and revamped two-piece LED taillights.

Peeking inside, Yaris again copies everything from Vios. The dashboard contains pseudo stitching followed by a Lexus NX-style cliff-shaped centre console. Then there is a 4.3-inch Optitron instrument cluster, a 360-degree camera, auto air conditioning system, and a DVD-AVX head unit.

Dwelling into the vehicle’s heart, Yaris is powered by the same 2NR-FE 1.5-litre Dual VVT-i engine that powers the Vios. This mill is capable of churning out a maximum power of 107 PS and a maximum torque of 140 Nm.

With no plan to choose a different venue, the company will assemble the Yaris at Toyota Malaysia's new plant located in Bukit Raja, Klang. The hatchback is available in five color options, and one can also get an optional bodykit.

The estimated pricing of the four-wheeler starts from RM 71,888 for the 1.5J variant, followed by RM 77,888 for the 1.5E. Whereas, the 1.5G, which is also the range-topping variant bears the estimated price tag of RM 84,888.

Check out 2019 Yaris competitors once it enters the Malaysian market.