Asia Pacific-spec Toyota Yaris Cross to be launched as a seven-seater, Indonesian media reveal

Following the launch of the overhauled Toyota Vios in Thailand, the focus has been on the upcoming Asia Pacific-spec Toyota Yaris Cross, a compact SUV that will be launched next year. The name has yet to be finalized, and will be known as the Toyota Yaris Cross, which will also be available in a 5+2 seven-seater layout.

According to Indonesian media, the Asia Pacific-spec Toyota Yaris Cross is already quietly undergoing road tests in the region and will be offered in a 5+2 seven-seater variant in addition to the standard five-seater. The latter will then take over the market position of the Toyota Rush, also a 5+2 seven-seater compact SUV, in the local market. It is worth noting that the Toyota Rush is a front-wheel drive SUV based on the chassis architecture commonly used for vans under the Daihatsu label, and its twin is the Daihatsu Terios, which is expected to be discontinued with the widespread use of the Daihatsu DNGA platform.

It is conceivable that the Toyota Yaris Cross, built on the coupe-style DNGA platform, will be more spacious inside, albeit in a front-wheel drive configuration. Power is expected to come from a 1.5-litre Dual VVT-i natural intake engine mated to a CVT transmission system that can simulate seven speeds, with an output of around 103bhp/138N-m.

The Sienta model currently on the market will not follow the Japanese overhaul, as it is based on an older generation chassis, and its discontinuation is inevitable if a DNGA chassis model is introduced later. The Noah and Voxy have been expected to fill the gap in the Asia Pacific market for the Sienta, but there has been no news of such a model.