All Cars, All the Time

It's official, USA gets Yaris 3 door liftback and 4 door sedan

Today's Toyota press launch included the official introduction of the 2007 Yaris to the USA. As expected the second model will be a 4 door sedan to be shown at the Los Angeles Auto Show in January. I'm a bit bummed as I view the 3 door to be a bit impractical and feel that the 5 door would sell much better. I guess Toyota is worried that a 5 door Yaris would bump heads with the Scion xA. I just worry that 3 door hatches will become self fulfilling prophecies that hatches don't sell in the USA--BMW 318ti and Mercedes C Class hatch as examples. I would say that previous failed hatches had been less than appealing for a stylistic point of view. All one needs to do is look to the Mini to see what a well designed and marketed hatch can do in the USA (even if it doesn't have an extra set of doors--yet). In any case I welcome the new Yaris and bid farewell to the mostly unloved Echo sedan and coupe that the USA received.