Toyota has released the first pictures of its Yaris hybrid model, ahead of the car’s debut at the Geneva Motor Show in March.
The Yaris will be Toyota’s compact model hybrid for the European market, while in the US, a compact version of the best-selling Prius, called the Prius C, will be the small car hybrid of choice. Toyota says the model will be the ‘most affordable full hybrid in Europe’ when it goes on sale later this year.
As Toyota’s best-selling model in Europe, the Yaris is the ideal B-segment model to get a hybrid makeover. Using a downsized version of the Hybrid Synergy Drive technology developed for the Prius, the Yaris hybrid is expected to deliver B-Segment leading fuel economy and CO2 emission levels. Joining the Auris hybrid, the Yaris hybrid will be the flagship of the Yaris range and share the same new-design ‘face’ of its conventionally-powered sister models.
The Yaris hybrid will combine a new 1.5-litre) petrol engine with a more compact electric motor, transaxle, inverter and battery pack. The result is a system that is 20 per cent lighter than that used in Auris Hybrid yet still capable of delivering 98bhp (74kW).
Thanks to all the key HSD components being reduced in size, and the location of the fuel tank and hybrid battery under the rear seat, Yaris Hybrid offers the same occupant space and 286-litre luggage capacity as conventional petrol and diesel Yaris models.
The Yaris hybrid will make its world premiere at Geneva motor show in March, before it goes on sale in the UK in the early summer.
