If you swing by the local Toyota website, you might notice something missing in the hatchbacks and sedan range. It might take some time to register as it’s been a relatively quite model for the past few years.
In case you missed the headline, that model is the Toyota Yaris. No, we’re not talking about the GR Yaris. That one’s actually selling well. What we’re referring to here is the standard, non-GR Yaris.
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The regular Yaris is no longer available on the local website at least, and it might come as no surprise for some. With that, this year caps a 16-year run for the subcompact hatchback.
Prior to its discontinuation, the Yaris received a minor update and was available in two variants. At the time, there was the 1.3 E CVT and 1.5 S CVT that retailed for P973,000 and P1,114,000, respectively. Here’s what we said about it when we reviewed it a couple of years ago:
“It doesn’t have the best features in its segment, but its ride comfort, spacious cabin, strong A/C, and brand reliability make it a solid contender. If the Vios is too ubiquitous for you, this hatchback is a viable choice.”
We can’t say for certain what led to the discontinuation of this model. However, it didn’t help that there are now more affordable crossover options in the market, most of which overlap with the hatchback’s pricing.
Interestingly, most of our ASEAN neighbors continue selling this generation of Yaris. In case you missed it, the hatch was given yet another facelift, particularly around the front end. With it seemingly pulled out of the local lineup, we’re not expecting the new look to be offered in the country.
Given that the Yaris is still a strong seller in other parts of Southeast Asia, there is a chance that there could be a Daihatsu-based successor down the line. In other parts of the world, the Yaris uses a completely different chassis, one from Toyota themselves and not derived from a Daihatsu platform.
With the discontinuation of the Yaris in the Philippines, only the Wigo remains as the lone hatchback in the local Toyota lineup. However, its name lives on as a crossover in the form of the Yaris Cross.
