Hybrid Yaris is here

Meet the latest member of Toyota’s hybrid family. The Yaris HSD concept previews the petrol-electric version of the company’s Ford Fiesta rival – and it’s due to arrive here early next year.

The car is based on the all-new Yaris, which debuted in Japan as the Vitz. Regular and hybrid variants will be built in Valenciennes, France. The petrol and diesel versions go on sale in the UK in the autumn.

Six months later, the hybrid will arrive, as the latest car in Toyota’s plan to build a petrol-electric example of each of its models by the early 2020s. 

A number of styling tweaks set the Yaris concept apart. Inspired by the Prius and Auris hybrids, it wears Toyota’s pearlescent white paint and blue badging, while reprofiled bumpers improve the aerodynamics. A flat underfloor and specially profiled 18-inch alloys also help it slip through the air with the minimum of fuss.

Toyota has yet to release details of the powertrain, aside from revealing that it uses a downsized version of the Prius’ Hybrid Synergy Drive system. 

A 1.33-litre petrol motor and lithium-ion batteries are possibilities, giving the model impressive efficiency – in the region of 90mpg – as well as sub-80g/km CO2 emissions. 

The Yaris hybrid will top the new supermini range, and come with kit such as leather trim, climate control and sat-nav as standard. 

Prices have yet to be confirmed. A Toyota spokesman said: “We don’t want the entry price to be a barrier,” which could mean a tag as low as £14,000. However, we expect prices to start at around £16,000 to go head-to-head with Honda’s comparably specced but less economical Jazz hybrid.

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