Toyota Yaris Cross goes hybrid-only
Global deletion of petrol variants cuts the light SUV’s range down from 10 variants to seven and drives up the opening priceThe Toyota Yaris Cross will soon be a hybrid-only offering following the quiet winding down of petrol variant production at a global level.
Toyota Australia has already pulled the petrol variants from its local website, which means the Japanese brand’s light SUV portfolio has been cut from 10 variants to seven and now starts from an even $30,000 plus on-road costs – a jump of $2000.
“Production of Yaris Cross petrol variants for global markets ended this month (December 2023) in response to overwhelming demand for hybrid-electric variants,” a local spokesperson said.
“As a result, Toyota Australia stopped taking orders on petrol variants. We have sufficient stock of petrol variants in dealer hands and in transit to meet current orders.”
The Yaris Cross is the third Toyota model to adopt an all-hybrid powertrain line-up following the new-generation Toyota C-HR and Toyota Camry, both of which will arrive next year.
It’s no secret Toyota’s hybrid offerings are among the industry’s most in-demand vehicles right now, with the self-charging electrification tech becoming the go-to preference of local consumers across most major vehicle segments, resulting in the steady deletion of petrol-only variants – a move that’s drawn criticism from Hyundai.
A perfect case in point is the outgoing Camry range – four of the five remaining variants are hybrids (and are not currently available due to a two-year backlog of orders in the lead-up to the new generation arriving).
Meantime, five of the eight Corolla Cross offerings are hybrid, while nine of the 13 RAV4 variants are electrified.
Odds are there’ll be some sort of 2024 model year update for the Yaris Cross, given just such a vehicle has surfaced in Europe featuring an uprated powertrain (85kW versus 97kW), updated infotainment interfaces and operating system, optional 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, various NVH improvements and recalibrated active safety systems.
Toyota has sold 5839 examples of the Yaris Cross so far this year, making it the third most popular light SUV in the country behind the Mazda CX-3 (14,524) and Kia Stonic (6584).
Related: Toyota Yaris Cross GR Sport 2023 Review
Related: Toyota Yaris Cross – What you need to know
Related: Toyota Yaris Cross 2021 Review
Related: Toyota Yaris Cross: Full Australian details
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