There's an all-new Toyota Yaris for some markets and we are patiently waiting for the debut of the GR Yaris hot hatch later this week. It turns out Toyota has additional plans for the overhauled supermini as a new report from AutoExpress claims a Yaris-based crossover is in the works for a launch later this year.
According to the information available at the moment, the Japanese manufacturer believes there's room for its SUV lineup to grow at the smaller end. Toyota's European Executive Vice-President Matt Harrison told the publication that "SUV segments in general are all continuing to grow."
"C-HR is playing in the very top end of what could almost be a sort of coupé-crossover C-segment SUV. It doesn't really compete with other products like Qashqai or more practical offerings."
Toyota's logic is that customers may want to buy a high-riding machine instead of a traditional small hatch but the C-HR is not in their budget range. The new, yet unnamed Yaris-based model will sit below the C-HR and will be aimed directly against the Ford Puma, Renault Captur, and Nissan Juke as a more affordable option.
"We're looking, we're evaluating, and we see an increasing number of players doing that [moving from supermini hatches to small crossovers]. There may be opportunities in future. The platform is flexible enough to support something like that, for sure," Harrison added.
AutoExpress claims the new crossover will be just a few millimeters longer than the Yaris. The TNGA-B architecture will allow for use of electrified engines.
Our colleagues from the United Kingdom also believe the new crossover will be revealed before the year's end with sales expected to kick off in the first or second quarter of next year.
