2020 Toyota Yaris facelift revealed internationally

Tuhin Guha Updated: July 27, 2020, 12:09 PM IST

After having teased it last week, Toyota has now unveiled the 2020 Toyota Yaris facelift in the Philippines. The Yaris is known as the Vios there and is the largest selling car in its segment in that market. Unlike in India, the Vios has been available in the Philippines since 2003, across three generations.

As was seen with the teaser, the Yaris' design now takes inspiration from Toyota's larger, global family of sedans. This is apparent in the much larger two-part grille. The lower half now progressively widens and is finished with horizontal elements, very similar to the Camry sold in India. The headlamps are now LED units with a chrome element extending into them from the grille. The foglamp housings have changed too, taking on a vertical shape. At the rear, there are part-LED taillamps, while there's a new dual-tone 16-inch alloy-wheel design.

The interiors have remained more-or-less unchanged. This version of the Yaris gets an all-black treatment for the interior, unlike the Indian car. New though, is the larger touchscreen infotainment system. The Yaris has impressed with its class-leading suite of safety features, and that continues with the facelift too.

There have been no mechanical changes with this update. The Yaris is powered by a 1.5-litre naturally-aspirated petrol with 107PS and 140Nm of torque. This is paired with a six-speed manual or a CVT gearbox option. The Yaris is not available with a diesel option. However, in the Philipines, the Yaris is also available with a 1.3-litre motor that makes 99PS and 123 Nm. This is also paired with a manual or CVT.

The Toyota Yaris launched in India in April 2018, but hasn't been a sales success. This was mainly due to its high price point. There is no word yet on whether Toyota will bring the new Yaris to India, but given the resurgence seen by this segment lately, this facelift could be a good opportunity to repackage the Yaris into a more attractive package for our market. The Yaris competes with the likes of the Honda City, Maruti Suzuki Ciaz and Hyundai Verna.