Toyota’s new product salvo won’t be ending anytime soon. Reports coming out of Thailand say the all-new Vios is slated for a launch this third quarter, and it will finally shift to a brand-new platform.
According to a report by Thai website
headlightmag
, the next-generation 2023 Vios is slated for a launch between July to September of this year. And get this, it will shift from its current platform to the Daihatsu New Global Architecture (DNGA) platform.
Said to be codenamed D92A (the current is known as the XP150), it will ride on the same platform as the
Raize
,
Avanza
, and
Veloz
.
Shifting to the DNGA platform should provide the all-new Vios with increased rigidity for enhanced handling and safety. Moreover, it should also benefit from some weight savings as well.
It’s reported that Toyota will also bring its hybrid powertrain to the sub-compact sedan space by mating a 1.5-liter 4-cylinder engine with their Hybrid THS-II system—a system already in use in the Camry, Corolla Altis, Corolla Cross, and RAV4. However, it’s also possible that they’ll go with Daihatsu technology altogether and instead adopt the e-Smart Hybrid—a system introduced in the Raize.
As for engines, the publication reports that the Vios will receive a normally-aspirated 1.2-liter 4-cylinder engine paired to a CVT. Take note though that because of Thailand’s unique Eco Car program, it’s more likely that the Philippines will not get this engine, and will instead keep the current Vios’s 1.3- and 1.5-liter engines (1NR-FE and 2NR-FE). The engines are, after all, also found in the all-new Avanza.
As to how the D92A Vios would look like, inspiration is said to come from the Daihatsu DN F-Sedan (see lead photo) which made its global debut in 2017 at the Gaikindo Indonesia International Auto Show.
The concept measures 4,200 mm long, 1,695 mm wide, 1,430 mm tall, and has a wheelbase of 2,510 mm. If these dimensions stay true for the production version, that means it’ll be smaller in every aspect compared to the current-generation Vios.
Thailand is set to be the first country to get the all-new Vios. No mention has been made regarding production plans as of yet. Currently, the Philippine market Vios is produced in Santa Rosa, Laguna. If Toyota Motor Philippines doesn’t re-tool its facilities, it could very well spell the end of the Vios’s run as a Filipino-made vehicle.
Keyword: All-New 2023 Toyota Vios Set For Q3 Launch