Do you remember, let’s say, Alfa Romeo 168? The Italian sedan 164 needed to be rebadged exclusively for the Chinese market because its original number had a terrible connotation there. Porsche, in turn, needed to change its coupe’s from 901 for 911 because Peugeot objected against other companies using three-digit numbers with a central zero. And there are dozens and dozens of other curious situations regarding car naming, because this is a very sensitive subject. Working with it is so complex because it’s connected to its company’s other models, to what it’ll offer itself and, at last but not least, to the perception which the public will be supposed to have of this product.
This is why each time there are fewer automakers willing to take the risks of using complete new names on their releases. The most common ways of avoiding that “safely” are using alphanumeric arrays (like Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz’s), updating the car’s concept rather than creating whole different ones in order to keep their well-established names (like with Chevrolet Suburban or VW Golf) or taking famous names from the past (many North-American and some Chinese cars use this one). However, it’s necessary to keep in mind that a good name created its reputation with a particular car, and therefore became associated to its own set of characteristics. If the new car is too different from the original one, it’ll not only be rejected as will also affect the original one’s image.
In other words, there are some limits for the good use of this strategy. The Chinese VW succeeded Santana with an all-new sedan, but since it was projected to take the same market of the outgoing car, it was decided to keep such traditional name. Fiat tried to have better luck succeeding Stilo, for which it took Bravo from the previous hatchback despite the new one never had the original’s three doors. Toyota, on the other hand, already created a new generation for Vitz in 2010, which is called Yaris in some countries. The directly-related sedan was called Vios and arrived this year, and they were supposed to be the automaker’s new compact hatchback-and-sedan duo. But Toyota’s Thai branch had other plans.
That market developed its own new hatchback looking much more like Vios, but still different enough to be sold as another model, instead of a “Vios hatchback”. And, as the pictures show, Toyota achieved a nice result. The front fascia brings sportiness with a very attractive set of headlights and air intakes, although the sabertooth-like element may get mixed opinions. The sides, like with many other cars at this price range, share the overall shape with the sedan. The differences here start with the exclusive rear doors and go to a black-painted section which tries to connect the windows with the rear glass as if they were a single piece. Chevrolet Agile shows a similar idea, but having so few examples is a reflection of the not-so-good results it tends to achieve.
The rear, in turn, repeated the good work with the C-shaped lights, which create the glass’s lower limit. Besides, the license plate’s spot starts trapezoidal shape which ends at the bumper and reminds of the front item. It’s very different from the original Yaris, but Toyota seem to have tried to make people forget of it with the Thai Yaris’s capabilities. It uses the same wheelbase as Vios, which is a little longer than the European car’s and helps it to offer a bigger trunk. Features like that come in handy because emergent markets tend to use compact hatchbacks as small family cars, while European customers buy them mostly for individual use. Besides, the Thai Yaris can suit that public who can afford a little more than Etios’s pragmatic construction and questionable design taste.
If the outside tries to deny, entering the new car reveals Vios’s cabin once again. There are minor visual tweaks, but it’s the same cabin with the same good space and good-looking elements – they were inspired on Toyota’s upscale line. The Thai market will receive this car also with an exclusive engine, which is a four-cylinder, Dual VVT-i 1.2L unit whose 86 hp will certainly make any sporty intentions disappear. But, if you look to this vehicle as the small people-carrier it’s intended to be, you’ll like to see there will be four trim levels, starting with an ecological one for 469,000 Baht. The car also debuts offering a complete line of visual accessories.