Here it is, a first glimpse of the upcoming, 2022 , currently under development by Daihatsu, referred to internally as project D92A.
Yes, the all-new generation Toyota Vios is a Daihatsu (and Perodua)-developed product. Under the Toyota Motor group’s new structure, a new Toyota-Daihatsu internal company called Emerging Market Car Company (EMCC) will be responsible developing of compact cars for emerging markets.
Structure of EMCC. TDEM refers to Toyota Daihatsu Engineering and Manufacturing
Under EMCC, Daihatsu (which also includes Perodua) will be responsible for product development for emerging-market compact cars, which will include:
- Daihatsu Rocky / Toyota Raize /
- / Daihatsu Xenia /
- Next generation Daihatsu Terios /
- Next generation (also sold as Yaris Ativ in Thailand)
So far, all signs point to the D92A being a Toyota-only product. Although development work is done by Daihatsu, it’s too big of a jump to conclude that there will be a Perodua version of the Toyota Vios.
Perodua has previously confirmed that it is working on several non-Perodua models for Daihatsu, models that don't necessarily be sold by Perodua.
From the silhouette of the heavily camouflaged prototype undergoing road trials (courtesy of AutoLifeThailand), the all-new 2022 Toyota Vios will have a -like front-end styling, while the side profile has a rather fastback character, almost like the FE.
Honda Civic, is that you?
Considering Toyota’s commitment towards promoting electrified (battery EVs are still too expensive, not practical enough for this budget conscious segment) in this region, a hybrid is almost certain.
A 1.5-litre 3-cylinder naturally aspirated 2-motor hybrid engine (M15A-FXE) from the Toyota Yaris Cross is rumoured to be part of the engine line-up, though it could be introduced at a later stage.
The engine is basically an Atkinson cycle, eco-friendly version of the fire breathing Toyota GR Yaris’ turbocharged engine.
At its global debut, which rumoured to be around August 2022 in Thailand, the D92 all-new generation Toyota Vios is expected to be offered with just a 1.2-litre 4-cylinder engine, to comply with Thailand’s Eco Car regulations for lower excise tax.
A naturally aspirated 1.5-litre 4-cylinder will still be offered for other markets.
Currently, the Vios model range is split into two in Thailand, the 1.2-litre Eco Car variants are sold as the Yaris Ativ, while 1.5-litre variants are sold as the Vios, with the former wearing a different front-end styling from our Malaysian market Vios.
It is still unclear whether will this arrangement continue into the next generation but this is merely an academic question and is irrelevant to Malaysian buyers, who only need to know the car as a Vios.
Yaris Ativ is a 1.2L, Thai version of the Vios
Also note that in Malaysia, the 1.5-litre engine that powers the Vios (and Yaris) is made by Perodua, at their Sendayan engine plant.
The D92A generation Vios will most likely ride on the same DNGA-B platform that already underpins the Perodua Ativa and upcoming 2022 Perodua Alza (as well as Toyota Avanza).
Outgoing generation XP150 Vios
Expect a full suite of Toyota Safety Sense (TSS) advance driving assistance systems (ADAS) to be offered on higher variants of the all-new Toyota Vios.
Currently, the outgoing XP150 generation Vios only comes with partial TSS – blind spot monitor (BSM), lane departure alert (LDA), and pre-collision system (PCS or AEB). It however comes with 7 airbags as standard, which is also the Vios’ strongest selling point against the Honda City, which only offers 7 airbags on the highest 2 variants.
Keyword: Spied: D92A 2022 Toyota Vios is a baby Camry with a 1.5L 3-cylinder NA hybrid variant of the GR Yaris' engine