It was just a matter of time before the five-door Toyota Yaris hatchback would be killed off, and in November, Toyota gave some strong hints that it planned to do exactly that. Now it’s official. As Toyota confirmed to CarsDirect, the model is dead in the U.S.
Interestingly, Toyota also told CarsDirect that it plans to make some sort of announcement at the New York auto show in April. What that means for the future of the Yaris isn’t clear. Theoretically, Toyota could be prepping to introduce a redesigned and much more competitive hatchback, but we wouldn’t be surprised to hear Toyota say it only plans to build subcompact sedans going forward. Heck, for all we know, the Yaris could become some sort of conventionally styled baby crossover to sit alongside the funky C-HR in showrooms.
Starting at $16,565 including destination, the Yaris hatchback was one of the least expensive models in Toyota’s lineup. Now that it’s been canceled, it leaves Toyota consumers on a budget with limited options. The Mazda-based Yaris sedan still exists and is actually a few hundred dollars less expensive, but it doesn’t offer the practicality of a hatch. Upgrading to the Corolla hatchback, on the other hand, requires spending at least $20,920. Meanwhile, the Prius C hybrid starts at $22,460 and the C-HR at $21,875.
Then again, we’re not sure many buyers will miss the Yaris hatchback. Toyota only sold 1,940 units in the U.S. last year, almost 78 percent fewer than it sold in 2017. For comparison, even though Yaris sedan sales were down almost 30 percent in 2018, Toyota still managed to sell 25,269 of them.
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