There has been speculation abound that Toyota manufacturer in Pakistan, the Indus Motor Company (IMC), is planning to replace the ever-popular 1.3 liter Toyota Corolla’s Xli & GLi variants with the Vios sedan.
According to reports, the car manufacturer had planned to unveil the Vios by mid-2018 but due to the prevailing economic conditions and rupee’s devaluation in the country, the plan was shelved.
However, there has been a change in said plans as insiders in the industry say that IMC is now planning on launching the Yaris sedan variant instead of Vios. Although, it is too soon to say if the Yaris will act as a replacement for the Corolla variants or if it will be an entirely new model.
In terms of price, the Yaris sedan costs less than the Vios but they have the same platform; meaning that both cars are alike in terms of the dimensions, suspension, and other host of features including the interior.
What’s more is that the naming details of both models are a tad confusing because in some markets the Yaris sedan is called the Vios and in some markets it is the opposite.
The Yaris sedan (also known as Yaris Ativ) was first unveiled in Thailand, where to comply with the country’s Eco Car policies, it had a smaller engine, 4-cylinder 1.2 liter petrol Dual VVT-I engine coupled with a Super CVT-i transmission.
However in other countries, the Yaris/Vios comes with a 1.5 liter engine but logic dictates that if the Yaris comes to these shores, it will be below the Toyota Corolla in terms of the pecking order and will have either a 1.2 liter engine or the engine that is under the hood of the 1.3L Corolla in Pakistan
Apart from this, the company is testing the Daihatsu Bezza sedan for these parts as well. It has a 5-speed manual or 4-speed automatic transmission that has either a 1.0 liter or 1.3 liter engine. The company is gearing up for new rivals including Proton, Renault, Kia and Hyundai that will increase the competition as these automobile makers will seek to launch their own cars.
Via: CarSpirit
