Reinventing the Yaris brand

Nips and tucks to the Toyota Yaris will help this snappy urban runabout get back in the groove.

- Glenda Williams

Refreshed exterior and interior styling. Upgraded safety. New 1.5-litre engine. More power. Improved fuel efficiency. This about sums up the revised and improved Toyota Yaris, the compact urban hatchback now badged as the Yaris Pulse.

Securing sales in an under-pressure and highly competitive new-car market is somewhat more of a challenge for car manufacturers than might have been the case in the past. So enhancements that appeal to the many ambitious and style-conscious customers who are now also resolutely focused on value-for-money offerings, are even more important when economic conditions are trying.

Brand power and a reputation of reliability have given Toyota a head start in securing those sales, allowing the Japanese car manufacturer to continually secure the country’s top spot for new vehicle sales.

But the market segment that the Toyota Yaris falls into is a pretty cluttered one, comprised of the A- and B-segment small-car market. The snappy urban runabout sits in the B-segment, where it is up against some stiff competition like that of the VW Polo, the Ford Fiesta and the Hyundai i20.

While 108 000 units of the Toyota Yaris have been sold to date since its introduction to the country in 2005, sales post-2011 have been tapering off.

Reason enough for a good old-fashioned nip and tuck to revitalise the model and reinvigorate sales. Cue the Yaris Pulse.

An updated range

While the range continues its offering of the entry level 1.0-litre variant and hybrid model (the only local car in its segment with hybrid power), the newly refreshed Yaris Pulse now offers three models with a 1.5-litre engine that boasts lower emissions, more torque, 12% more power and up to 12% more fuel efficiency over the 1.3-litre engine that it replaces.