Toyota Yaris 3dr (2011) caught testing

By Mark Hamilton

Spy shots

06 April 2011 13:30

Our spy photographers have caught Toyota's new Yaris on the test track in prototype form.

Why disguise it? The new Toyota Yaris has already been released in Japan!

Not quite. A five-door Toyota Yaris is for sale in Japan, wearing its domestic market Toyota Vitz nameplate. We've also seen the Yaris HSD concept hybrid at last month's 2011 Geneva motor show.  That car is based on the five-door variant.

But this Yaris prototype, tape disguise to the contrary, is the as-yet-unseen three-door version.  This one looks like it's sporting the more aggressive front bumper with foglamps from the Vitz 1.5RS, but apart from that it's the familiar silhouette and detailing from the Vitz, minus rear doors.

What do we know about the new Yaris?

The new Toyota Yaris, with three or five doors, will be launched in Europe this summer. Expect the existing range of 1.0-litre and 1.33-litre petrol engines, and the 1.4-litre diesel to return, with tweaks for improved efficiency and emissions. 

Being a Toyota we can indeed expect that Yaris HSD concept's hybrid powertrain to arrive in the production Yaris. Fans of petrol-electric Toyotas will be able to purchase a Yaris hybrid in 2012.