Philippines next? Left-hand-drive Toyota Yaris Cross launches in Cambodia

The all-new Toyota Yaris Cross is now in left-hand drive!

The Japanese carmaker launched the crossover on July 11, 2023 in Cambodia, which also drives on the right like the Philippines. The model slots between the smaller Toyota Raize and the larger Toyota Corolla Cross.

Although there is no official confirmation from Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP) yet, PT Toyota Motor Manufacturing Indonesia (TMMIN) confirmed in an official presentation that the Philippines will be one of the export markets that will receive the Yaris Cross.

Like the recently launched Toyota Zenix, the Yaris Cross is produced in TMMIN’s plant in Karawang, West Java. This is located around 75 km east of Indonesia’s capital Jakarta.

The TMMIN manufacturing facility aims to export as many as 40,000 units of the Yaris Cross to Asia and Latin America by 2025.

No hybrid

Cambodia will only receive the non-hybrid version of the Yaris Cross, according to a report from our sister publication WapCar.

It is powered by a 1.5-liter, twin-cam, 16-valve inline-4 gasoline engine that produces 106 PS and 138 Nm. This is mated to the Daihatsu Dual-Mode Continuously Variable Transmission.

The extremely high tax imposed on new cars there, as well as market trends that favor used imported cars, might be some of the reasons why Toyota Cambodia decided not to bring in the Yaris Cross Hybrid.

Only one variant is available there – standard features include 18-inch alloy wheels, a 10.1-inch infotainment touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a wireless charger and a power tailgate with a kick sensor.

On the safety front, the Cambodian-spec Yaris Cross comes with 6 airbags and the Toyota Safety Sense active-safety suite. The latter includes Pre-Collision Warning, Lane Departure Warning, Auto High Beam and Rear Cross-traffic Alert.

What will the Philippines get?

Although there are no final specifications yet for the Philippines, we think TMP will use the same strategy as with the Corolla Cross and Zenix.

This means that it could introduce both hybrid and non-hybrid variants. Legislation like Republic Act 11697 or the “Electric Vehicle Industry Development Act” offers non-fiscal incentives for hybrid-vehicle owners, including number-coding exemptions.

The Yaris Cross Hybrid is also powered by a 1.5-liter inline-4, but it's mated to an electric motor. Combined output is 111 PS and 121 Nm of torque, with an EV (electric vehicle) mode that allows for zero-emission driving.

The all-new Yaris Cross was designed by Daihatsu, riding on the same platform as the all-new Toyota Wigo and AC100 Toyota Vios. It was launched in Indonesia on May 2023.

It is a 4,310 mm long urban crossover with 260 mm of ground clearance, making it ideal for rough roads and floods prevalent in ASEAN countries.

Do you think that the Yaris Cross would be a hit in the Philippines?

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