New Yaris

[AndyG]

Hi

Are all the new Yaris model cars made in France or are some made in Japan? If some cars are made in Japan, is it particular models/variants or is it just a mixture of cars across the range?

Andy

[Red Yaris 54]

Like most multi-national manufacturing organisations theses days, Toyota has production plants all over the world yet retains its original head quarters based in Toyota and Nagoya in Japan.

Production of the Yaris for the European market has been in France for some years:

http://www.samar.pl/__/__la/en/__ac/sec,4/...aris-plant.html

http://www.tcea.info/toyotamedia/2007_004_Leflet.pdf

The above shows Toyota's history in Europe.

In December 2006 Toyota announced that the Yaris would be produced at a plant in China....................although it is unclear if those units will be sold in the UK or Europe.

http://jpcarstoday.blogspot.com/2006/12/to...heduled-to.html

[T V O R]

Like the T-Sport phase one, I can confirm that the new 1.8 SR is ‘Made in Japan’. It’s a Real Toyota! Like the T-Sport it will be bullet-proof (and rare)

If you go to any Toyota dealership, and if they have a 1.8 SR, open the door and check the VIN number. You will see it starts with JTD*************

Take a look around it and if you have an eagle eye you will see some differences compared to the European built ones.

Toyota VIN Codes

[Red Yaris 54]

You beat me to it TVOR..................But as I was half way through this I will post it.

A sportier flagship model, the Yaris SR 1.8 litre Dual VVT-i in three and five door bodystyles. European sales this year of these sportier editions should be around 12,000 units. In the UK the 1.8 SR will account for 7 per cent (2,500 units) of all 36,000 Yaris sales. In addition to the new 1.8-litre models, SR branding will be given to top-of-the-range 1.3 VVT-i petrol and 1.4 D-4D diesel versions.

The increased SR sub brand models should take almost a quarter of all Yaris UK sales.

Unlike other Yaris models, which are built in France with engines supplied from Toyota's Deeside plant, the SR 1.8 VVT-i variants and their engines are manufactured in Japan.

In the UK, the model name is SR. In Europe it is TS. Toyota GB say that because their Yaris line up differed from that of mainland Europe, they did not want the new model confused with their current T Sport variants. Therefore the UK will now have Yaris models available with 'comfort' specification (the T2, T3 and T Spirit) and 'sports' models with the SR branding.

More important than all of this, at least from the customers' point of view, are the prices. Yaris SR models start at £10,695, whilst the flagship variants with the new 1.8-litre VVT-i engine is priced at £12,995 for the three-door version and £13,495 for the five-door model.

Currently, the UK's Yaris customers are aged in their mid-50s. Toyota GB expects SR variants to attract successful single people, young couples and a number of older enthusiastic drivers. The average age profile should therefore drop to the mid-40s. Toyota also expects there to be a 50:50 split between male and female buyers, with 68 per cent of customers opting for the five-door versions.

Toyota takes great trouble to explain that the Yaris SR 1.8 VVT-i is not intended to be a 'hot hatch' but more of a 'warm' model.

It combines sportier performance with style but also with added refinement and the all-important driveability needed for today's driving conditions — all the requirements of 'real' customers. It sells against supermini competitor models such as the VW Polo Sport, Vauxhall Corsa SXi, Renault Clio Dynamique and Peugeot 207 Sport.

Toyota says that none of the SR 1.8's main competitors provide traction control, stability control, a roof spoiler, side skirts, a sports exhaust, driver's knee airbag, Smart Entry and Start system and climate control air conditioning as standard. Nor can any match the Yaris's 17-inch wheel size, or the 131bhp produced by its 1.8-litre VVT-i engine. In spite of all these additional features and performance advantage, Toyota customers pay no more than £680 above the price of the cheapest of its key rival models. Interestingly — where the Volkswagen Polo 1.6 Sport is concerned — when the value of the Toyota's specification is taken into account, the Yaris is actually cheaper by more than £1,000.

Positioned as 'The best Yaris you can buy', Toyota says the SR 1.8 delivers premium equipment features, great open-road driving characteristics and sporty yet sophisticated styling, and, in keeping with the latest generation Yaris on which it is based, it delivers exceptional interior space, safety and comfort for a car in its class.

It is the first Toyota to be equipped with the all-new 1.8 litre four-cylinder Dual VVT-i engine, a unit which gives enjoyable driving performance, refinement and fuel economy. Maximum power of 131bhp is produced at 6,000rpm with a torque output of 128lb ft. Equipped with a slick, five-speed manual gearbox, it will accelerate from rest to 62mph in 9.3 seconds and reach a top speed of 121mph. Combined cycle fuel economy is 39.2mpg and carbon dioxide emissions are 170g/km, placing the Yaris SR 1.8 in Band E for Vehicle Excise Duty.

An insurance group rating of 7E is quoted.

The SR 1.8 also has a sports-tuned chassis and suspension for good handling and ride comfort. The car sits 8mm lower than the regular Yaris, with suspension adjusted to suit the standard fit 17 inch wheels and 205/45R17 tyres.

The Electric Power Steering has also been revised to suit the model's sporting performance, operating 12 per cent quicker for more precise and nimble control.

The exterior styling includes distinctive deep front and rear bumpers, side skirts and a discreet rear roof spoiler. SR badging, LED rear lights and a chrome sports exhaust add to the sporting look.

On the inside, the sports seats and doors are trimmed in a fabric exclusive to the SR 1.8. The air vents have chrome highlights, the steering wheel is leather-covered and the main controls have amber backlighting. The instrument panel features hi-tech Optitron units with analogue speedometer and tachometer readouts.

The equipment specification marks out the model's premium positioning with features such as climate control air conditioning, six-speaker audio system with CD player, Smart Entry and Start system and an adjustable steering column.

The SR 1.8 incorporates all of the safety standards of the existing Yaris range and its top five-star Euro NCAP rating for adult passenger protection. It is equipped with nine airbags (including a driver's knee airbag) plus a comprehensive array of active safety systems including Vehicle Stability Control and Traction Control. All are fitted as standard.

Although described as a 'warm' hatch, the new Yaris 1.8 VVT-i is a model that most customers will 'warm to' very easily. It has sporty looks but done in a refined and acceptable way. There is an improved interior with supportive front seats and lots of space, including head room. But it is the cultured driving characteristics that will appeal most.

This front-wheel drive Yaris is not intended to be a 'road burner' and instead delivers a more polished drive and appearance. An increasing number of real life customers do not want to be seen driving tacky and generally fragile hot hatches which have bone-crushingly hard suspension systems. Refinement is the key ingredient today — and this is where the SR 1.8 excels. Yes, it is quick when needed. But today's road conditions (traffic congestion and speed cameras en-mass) dictate a different motoring approach.

[T V O R]

What a great write up

All I need to do now is rob a bank! :(

[jerry phipps]

Steve you have done your home work

Excellent write up

jerry!!

[AndyG]

Hi

Thanks to all of you for the excellent replies. Hopefully, I'll get a chance to have a look around a Toyota dealer with the wife sometime this week. One of the cars I am considering is an 1.8 SR. I'm looking at various options to replace one of two cars so I'm looking at both 'supermini' and 'small family' cars so it's all a bit complex at present. If I do opt for a Yaris or any other Toyota, I'm afraid I won't be doing anything to help the owner age profile.

If I make any big decisions, I'll let you know.

Thanks again - Andy :)

[T V O R]

I think that write up on the 1.8 SR should be pinned

People still ask about the T-Sport which came out in 2001, seeing as the 1.8 SR is the T-Sport replacement for the UK, I’m sure there will be many more enquiries about it in the years to come.