Toyota Yaris Ativ (Honda City challenger) teased before India debut at Auto Expo 2018

Toyota has just put out a teaser of the Yaris Ativ sedan. The car will rival the Honda City, Maruti Ciaz and Hyundai Verna. The Yaris Ativ will be Toyota’s first C-Segment sedan for the Indian car market. In terms of pricing, it will be sandwiched between the Etios at the lower end and the Corolla Altis on the upper end.

Though the car is also known as the Vios internationally, Toyota will use the Yaris badge for the Indian model. This is because the Japanese automaker has ambitions to also launch the Yaris hatchback here, and it seeks to make the brand stronger by using the same badge on the sedan.

Talking of the Yaris Ativ, it features a 1.5 liter petrol engine with 108 Bhp-140 Nm outputs internationally. The same engine is likely to be offered in India as well, with 5 speed manual and CVT automatic gearboxes. Toyota is also expected to offer a diesel engine for the India-spec Yaris as nearly 50 % of sedan buyers opt for diesels here.

The engine in question is likely to be the 1.4 liter D-4D unit that Toyota uses on cars such as the Etios and Corolla. On the Yaris though, this engine is expected to feature the 89 Bhp-205 Nm state of tune that the Corolla Altis offers. A 6 speed manual gearbox is also likely.

The Yaris Ativ will be built at Toyota’s Bidadi factory near Bangalore. A heavy amount of local sourcing is likely in order to keep costs low. The car is expected to start from a little lesser than Rs. 8 lakhs for the base-petrol model. It’s expected to offer safety features such as ABS and twin airbags as standard. Also expect the car to feature an up-to-date infotainment system with smartphone connectivity. Rear AC vents also could be offered on the car. Most details will be revealed during the unveil at the Auto Expo. However, the market launch of the car will happen during the second half of 2018.