Toyota Confirms Yaris Hatchback Replacement

By Chris Chase

Jan 29, 2019

Summary

Yaris hatch lives on

The Toyota Yaris hatchback will live on past 2019 model year in both Canada and the United States, as the company's U.S. division has confirmed a redesigned 2020 Yaris hatch is on its way.

Confirmation comes a week after Toyota USA dropped the subcompact hatch for this year, blaming slow sales. Toyota Canada PR spokesperson Romaric Lartilleux, however, told us the current French-built 2019 model will live on here, citing strong year over year sales (up 8 per cent over 2017).

When Toyota USA announced the current hatchback's cancellation in that country, the company mollified small-car enthusiasts with a promise it would present something new at the upcoming New York International Auto Show.

Given the lack of spy photos and rumours of an all-new model -- which, these days, would almost certainly be a crossover -- we agree with Car and Driver's latest prediction that the new vehicle will be a 2020 Yaris hatch based on the Mazda2. That Mazda model has, to this point, only existed in Canada as the Toyota Yaris sedan.

A lot about that idea makes sense: Toyota already has a deal to license Mazda's design; it's a far more modern car; and the move would save Toyota investing in a new vehicle for a segment industry experts suggest is on its way out, thanks to the emergence of small crossovers.

We -- and, subsequently, you -- will know more when we report from the New York auto show in mid-April.

Meet the Author

As a child, Chris spent most of his time playing with toy cars in his parents’ basement or making car sounds while riding his bicycle. Now he's an award-winning Algonquin College Journalism grad who has been playing with real cars that make their own noises since the early 2000s.