End of diesel era? Toyota Yaris sedan likely to be launched with only petrol engine in India

Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM), the Indian subsidiary of Japanese auto giant Toyota, marked its entry into country's competitive B-segment with the unveiling of its new Yaris sedan at the 14th edition of the Auto Expo in Greater Noida on February 7.

The sedan is set to take on the likes of Honda City and Maruti Suzuki Ciaz.

Toyota will launch the Yaris soon, but the only engine option will be a 1.5-litre petrol mill. TKM was tight-lipped about the diesel engine option, and emerging reports indicate that Yaris may not get the diesel option at all.

The only small-capacity diesel engine Toyota uses at present is the 1.4-litre unit that does duty in the Etios series and the Corolla Altis. The engine is not compliant with the Bharat Stage-VI emission norms, which will come in to effect in the country in April 2020. Hence, Toyota will be forced to withdraw this engine. Meanwhile, the company uncertain about working on a new BS-VI compliant diesel mill.

As the industry swiftly moves towards the electric vehicle regime, huge investments for a new diesel engine do not make sense in the long term. This means the Yaris may get only to the petrol mill.

The 1.5-litre Dual VVT-i four-cylinder petrol engine in the Yaris will develop around 108hp. It will come mated to a choice of a seven-speed CVT gearbox with paddle shift or six-speed manual transmission.

Being a premium model, the Yaris will flaunt LED DRLs, LED parking lights, auto projector headlamps, alloy wheels, a shark-fin antenna, touchscreen navigation, faux leather seats, cruise control, steering mounted controls and other features.

On the safety front, the Yaris will come equipped with 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 up front. It will also get ABS with EBD and stability control.

Toyota will locally manufacture the Yaris at its plant near Bengaluru, and it is expected to be priced between Rs 8 lakh and Rs 10 lakh.

Source: Autocar