Toyota facelifts Yaris

Toyota has revealed the facelifted Vitz in Japan, previewing the revised Yaris hatch that will go on sale in Australia in March.

Simultaneously revealed alongside a new hot hatch version of the Yaris for Europe — but not Australia – the 2017 Yaris hatch will go it alone in Australia following the axing of the Yaris sedan.

Nor will the updated version of the Yaris Hybrid — which has long been sold in Japan and Europe and is now fitted with an enhanced petrol-electric system, revised dampers, stiffer body and black interior — be sold Down Under.

Australian pricing and specifications are yet to be released, but in Japan — where 17 exterior paint colours are now offered — the 2017 Yaris line-up brings a new front bumper with LED daytime running lights, plus revised fog lights and headlights with the option of bi-xenon beams.

There's also a fresh tailgate, rear bumper, tail-lights (with LED units now an option) and wheel designs, plus a brown Marsala interior package.

Together, the new bumpers make the latest Yaris 60mm longer than before at 3945mm.

In Japan, the Yaris is sold with 1.0- and 1.3-litre petrol engines matched with manual and CVT automatic transmissions, plus the Toyota Safety Sense suite of driver aids including autonomous emergency braking, which is likely to be fitted to top-spec ZR variants here.

In Australia, where the three-door (and now four-door) model is not available, the five-door Yaris hatch is expected to continue with 63kW/121Nm 1.3-litre petrol and 80kW/141Nm 1.5-litre petrol engines matched with five-speed manual and four-speed auto gearboxes.

Once Australia's top-selling light-car, Toyota's Yaris — which has notched up seven million sales in 80 countries since 1999 — was last year outsold by the Hyundai Accent and Mazda2.