Japanese automaker Toyota's Indian subsidiary Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) is all set to challenge the supremacy of Honda City and Maruti Suzuki Ciaz in the B-segment with the Yaris sedan.
The new sedan may have made its India debut at the Auto Expo 2018, but there was no clarity on the launch date.
TKM has now confirmed that it will launch the Yaris sedan in May this year. Ahead of the launch, the carmaker will start accepting bookings for the sedan from April.
TKM is already in the final stages of testing the Yaris in India, and one unit of the car recently spotted near Bengaluru.
Toyota seems to have learned a lesson from the mediocre performance of the Etios range that comes with a bland design. The Yaris features a contemporary design and that gives it a Corolla Altis-kind of stance.
The slim and wide wraparound headlamps and taillamps and a sporty bumper with black inserts add visual appeal. The young design of the Yaris gives it a chance to attract sedan-buyers in India.
Being a premium model, the Yaris comes with features like projector headlamps with LED guide and DRLs (daytime running lamps), an LED rear combi lamp, a bold and wide front grille and a shark-fin antenna on the exterior.
Inside the cabin, the sedan comes equipped with touchscreen navigation, faux leather seats, cruise control, steering-mounted controls and other features.
The Yaris will be offered only in the petrol engine option for now. The car is powered by a 1.5-liter Dual VVT-i engine mated to either seven-speed continuously variable transmission (CVT) or six-speed manual transmission. CVT models will also get paddle shifters for spirited driving.
Toyota Yaris will also flaunt seven airbags (including curtain and knee airbags), a tire pressure monitoring system, disc brakes on all wheels, a roof-mounted air recirculation vent and parking sensors on the safety front. It will also get ABS with EBD and stability control.
TKM will locally manufacture the Yaris at its plant near Bengaluru, and the new sedan is expected to be priced between Rs 9 lakh and Rs 12 lakh.
