If you’ve been observing Toyota Motor Philippines’ (TMP) official Facebook page recently, you might have already seen a number of teasers regarding a new model coming up. Yes, your guess is probably as good as many that the posts point to the all-new Toyota Vios.
The Vios is Toyota’s entry in the very busy subcompact sedan market. Now on its fourth generation, the Vios recently evolved by introducing a hybrid powerplant, finally aligning itself with Toyota’s approach to electrification and sustainable mobility.
The new era of the Vios is underscored by a hybrid powertrain it shares with the Toyota Yaris Cross, that being a 1.5-liter gasoline engine with an electric motor that’s powered by a lithium-ion battery. Combined, this powertrain delivers 111 hp and 121 Nm of torque.
The good news is that TMP recently announced on Facebook that it’s opening its early bird reservations for the all-new Vios Hybrid. This signals the Philippine arrival of the hybrid subcompact sedan, which TMP says will be in October this year, just in time for the holiday season. While no pricing details have yet to surface, TMP says that the upcoming model will be its new most affordable hybrid.
To put things into perspective, the current cheapest hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) in TMP’s lineup is the Toyota Corolla Cross 1.8 Hybrid G CVT with a price tag of P1,514,000. Going by this figure, we could estimate the all-new Toyota Vios Hybrid’s price point to be in the region of P1.3-million to P1.4-million.
As TMP gears up for its biggest car launch of the year, its recent posts raise questions about the new model’s identity. Instead of using the familiar Vios nameplate, TMP has been highlighting the “Ativ” branding, as seen in buzzwords like “Advanced Transformative Intelligent Versatile.” TMP even went as far as calling it the “All-New Toyota Ativ HEV.” This move mirrors TMP’s past strategy with the Avanza Veloz, which was spun off into its own model line. It suggests that TMP may be positioning the all-new Vios Hybrid as a standalone model under the Ativ nameplate.
Alternatively, is TMP slotting the all-new Vios Hybrid as the model’s new top-of-the-line variant to pave the way for a possible hybrid GR Sport version in the near future? It is worth recalling that TMP discontinued the Vios GR Sport variant in late 2023. So, if this last bit is true, then it’s going to be something enthusiasts ought to look out for as a comeback of the sportier-looking version of the Vios.
All these speculations remain unanswered at this point. But it won’t be for long until we get the full scope of things. For now, let’s wait until October to find out.
