Toyota Yaris sedan (Maruti Ciaz & Honda City rival) unveiled at Auto Expo 2018

Toyota Kirloskar Motors Limited has unveiled a brand new C-Segment sedan for the Indian market – the Yaris. Also known as the Vios and Yaris Ativ in other parts of South East Asia, the car will compete with the Honda City, Hyundai Verna and the Maruti Ciaz. Toyota is expected to launch the Yaris in India during April, at a competitive price tag starting well under Rs. 8 lakhs. For now, the automaker has revealed the various features that the Yaris will get for the hugely competitive Indian car market.

It will be the best equipped car in terms of safety features in its segment. The top-end Yaris will receive 7 airbags, ABS, EBD, electronic stability program, reverse parking sensors and camera, proximity sensors at the front, hill hold assist, and a tyre pressure monitoring system. In terms of features too, it will be quite loaded. Factory tinted glass, roof mounted AC vents with ambient lighting, power sockets for rear passengers, powered driver’s seat, cruise control, paddle shifters and rain sensing wipers.

The car will be a petrol-only model with a 1.5 liter engine powering it. Exact power and torque outputs are not known for now. A 6 speed manual and a CVT automatic gearbox option with 7 stepped shifts will be offered. For now, Toyota has not confirmed a diesel engine for the Yaris. This will make it the only C-Segment sedan in India to be a petrol-only model. In terms of looks, the Yaris looks like a mini Corolla Altis, and that should give it a decent start in the market.

Toyota is calling the Yaris a ‘value champion’ an indication that it would price the car very aggressively to make a mark in the C-Segment sedan space, where the car faces some really formidable and established rivals. It will be interesting to see if Toyota manages to grab a good chunk of the C-Segment sedan market despite not offering a diesel engine.