REPORT: Toyota to build Yaris-based hybrid in France, go on sale in Japan in 2011
by Jeremy Korzeniewski on Jul 28th 2009 at 4:00PM 
Toyota Yaris Liftback – Click above for high-res image gallery
Toyota's got hybrids on the brain. Already the undisputed leader in the gas-electric vehicle market, Asahi (via Reuters) reports the Japanese automaker is planning to launch a new compact hybrid based on the next-gen Yaris platform and due to go on sale in Japan for 1.5 million yen ($15,760) by 2011. That bargain-basement price will be made possible by a low-cost version of Toyota's Hybrid Synergy Drive, used in the current Prius and featuring a downsized four-cylinder engine that may make it even more fuel efficient than its larger sibling.
In addition to production plants in its home market of Japan, the report indicates that Toyota may also assemble the compact hybrid in France for the European market. This news comes just weeks after Toyota officially announced its intentions to build a hybrid version of its Auris hatchback in the United Kingdom. We certainly wouldn't be surprised if Toyota imported either of the new hybrids to the States in light of the success it's seen with the Prius.
It's expected that the new Yaris-based hybrid will go head-to-head with Honda's recently announced Fit Hybrid. While Toyota's interest in hybrid technology is anything but new, the fuel-saving models have just recently earned the top sales spots in Japan and are expected to be increasingly important in over the next few years as the latest round of strict emissions and fuel economy requirements are implemented worldwide.
Gallery: Review: 2008 Toyota Yaris 3-door
[Source: Reuters]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Thunderbuck 4:13PM (7/28/2009)
There's a "Law of Diminishing Returns" when it comes to hybrids, and this class demonstrates it perfectly.
The whole idea of regenerative braking is that you're taking kinetic energy that would normally be burned off as heat in the brakes and actually recapturing some of it for re-use. The more kinetic energy you have to recapture, the better it works. In other words, hybrid tech is best suited to LARGE vehicles. Escalades, transit buses, locomotives, these are the places where hybrid tech works the best.
In a small vehicle like a Fit or a Yaris, there's not quite as much benefit. Worse, these systems impose a significantly higher weight penalty in proportion. Higher cost, higher complexity... the list goes on.
This seems like a blind alley. I love hybrid tech, but in this application diesel would be considerably more effective.
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why not the LS2LS7? 4:16PM (7/28/2009)
Hybrid and Diesel don't really compete. If you drive city a lot, hybrid does a ton better.
I think also you overstate the problems with light hybrids. You do capture as a whole less energy with regen, but as a percentage, it doesn't change much. As an added bonus, the smaller amount of energy means you need a smaller battery, which brings the cost down. So you still should get almost the same improvement in city fuel economy percentage-wise as a larger car, which never hurts.
I do agree the up front price is a problem, as I mentioned in my post below. If they can make a hybrid priced like an economy car it'll do great. If the initial cost is higher like it is right now, it won't do so well.
why not the LS2LS7? 4:20PM (7/28/2009)
Oh, also locomotives aren't a great application for hybrids, at least not so far. There is too much recaptured energy, you can't find a battery big enough to store enough of it to make the big impact you want. There have been hybrid switching locomotives for years now, but those are by definition usually moving only a few cars at a time and reverse direction a lot. GE is pushing their new long haul (I don't know the real name) hybrid locomotive right now, but it's not a known quantity yet how much it will save. It appears mostly they are concentrating on the reduced trace emissions, even those emissions improvements are more from clean Diesel technology than from being a hybrid and burning less fuel.
PJ 4:34PM (7/28/2009)
"In other words, hybrid tech is best suited to LARGE vehicles."
This is absolutely true, but the market has its own set of laws--and one of those seems to be, when buyers pay a price premium for hybrid tech, they don't want to continue to get flipped off by hippies. Or, perhaps more accurately, they need to see absolute, not relative, improvements in mileage. Getting 18-20 MPG isn't going to give anyone warm fuzzies, and the fact that it's a 25% improvement on the conventional version doesn't matter if you aren't a mileage-figures nerd, which most non-enthusiasts aren't.
Given those market preferences, this car seems like a great idea--take a technology that more people desire than can afford, and make it more affordable.
gerrrg 7:56PM (7/28/2009)
Using diesel would be better for gas mileage, but Toyota abandoned diesel when it ended their joint venture with Isuzu.
On the other hand, the electric engine could mean that the tiny Yaris will have a lot more kick from 0-60.
remy 10:17PM (7/28/2009)
gerrrg:
I don't know what you're talking about with the diesel. The Yaris Diesel is still alive and kicking in Europe and returns a stagering 55.4mpg city and 76.3mpg highway...the hybrid better returns something better
tankd0g 12:48AM (7/29/2009)
You aren't making much sense. You say the cars are too light to benefit from regenerative breaking but at the same time they are too heavy? Since the SUV hybrids you mentioned were big piles of crap that barely extracted an extra MPG for their rater massive price premium, I don't think your theory holds true.
why not the LS2LS7? 2:47AM (7/29/2009)
The 2-mode GM SUV hybrids increase fuel economy from 16 combined to 21 combined. That's almost a 1/3 increase in economy! Each one of these vehicles saves more fuel compared to their non-hybrid version than a Camry hybrid does compared to a Camry. They're not losers.
To the people saying that hybrids save the most fuel on heavy cars, that's true. Diesels also save the most when used on heavy cars. And so go efficient gas cars. ALL reasonable systems of saving fuel accomplish the most when used on vehicles that use the most fuel to start with!
Derek 4:13PM (7/28/2009)
I'm confused - doesn't the Yaris already get pretty impressive gas mileage? Wouldn't the cost of the hybrid be a significant portion of the vehicle cost?
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why not the LS2LS7? 4:13PM (7/28/2009)
Sounds like a great idea. If it's really still a two-mode and it's affordable, this could be huge in the marketplace. Hybrids make a great economy car except for the entry costs, so if they can fix that, they'll really make a big splash.
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Brian 4:28PM (7/28/2009)
Hah, this is going to decimate the Volt (if it ever comes out) and Detroit will be caught with its pants down AGAIN.
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merlot066 7:15PM (7/28/2009)
First off, the volt is going to be an electric vehicle that will be tuned to give more of a sporty ride rather than whatever you want to call the type of ride the Prius gives (maybe a college professor would be able to find a word that bad).
Second, this is going to be a hybrid (as in gas powered, battery assisted, we know you take a while to grasp concepts, like how Ford is gaining market share, i.e. taking it away from Toyota) so it doesn't even compare to the Volt
Third, it is going to be based off of the Yaris, so.... I don't even know where to go from there, the Yaris just sucks.
Fourth, I never got a response from you on the Lincoln post, I'd like your sentiments on that. http://www.autoblog.com/2009/07/27/report-lincoln-and-mercurys-new-direction-involves-downsizing/3 (in case you forgot, unless it's just that I embarrassed you too badly)
Pudgie 9:09PM (7/28/2009)
to merlot066,
You need to read the post a little bit more closely:
"Asahi (via Reuters) reports the Japanese automaker is planning to launch a new compact hybrid based on the next-gen Yaris platform . . . ."
from the Reuters article:
"Toyota's new hybrid-only compact will use the platform and engine of the Yaris compact, which will be fully remodeled ahead of the new hybrid's launch . . . ."
The next-generation Yaris will reportedly be based on the iQ platform.
merlot066 9:56PM (7/28/2009)
Okay... I didn't realize that they're changing platforms, but what's so great about the iQ, and the main point is that Brian is an idiot troll and he's comparing an extended range electric car that is designed to be sporty to a regular hybrid subcompact from Toyota.
Pudgie 2:25AM (7/29/2009)
True, but most objective observers would agree that a $16K iQ-based hybrid getting > 50 MPG will likely sell much better than a Chevy ER-EV costing $40K upfront (although it will benefit from a $7,500 federal income tax credit).
The Volt is an intriguing car, but it will be financially impractical for the vast majority of consumers.
And the styling of the iQ is generally getting strong reviews (the biggest criticisms have been about the price and engine). Presumably, the next generation Yaris (and its hybrid derivative) will be a larger version of the iQ.
Bloke 4:46PM (7/28/2009)
"In addition to production plants in its home market of Japan, the report indicates that Toyota may also assemble the compact hybrid in France for the European market."
Autoblog, all European-market Yaris models have been assembled at the Valenciennes, France facility ever since the model first debuted at the end of 1998.
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why not the LS2LS7? 5:33PM (7/28/2009)
Yeah, but Toyota hybrids have traditionally be assembled in Japan. In fact, I think all Toyota hybrids to date have been built in Japan.
Luis 11:08PM (7/28/2009)
Camry Hybrids are made in the US now. So are Highlander Hybrids (I think). They should have called it the HyLander.
why not the LS2LS7? 2:49AM (7/29/2009)
Highlander hybrids are made in Japan. You appear to be correct about the Camry hybrid though.
Bloke 9:02AM (7/29/2009)
"Yeah, but Toyota hybrids have traditionally be assembled in Japan. In fact, I think all Toyota hybrids to date have been built in Japan."
Big deal! The only Toyota hybrid sold in Europe is the Prius - and that's a dedicated model built in Japan. The Yaris has always been built in France, with all its petrol and diesel variations - the hybrid unit is simply another engine option.