The 2023 Toyota Wigo has already been launched in the ASEAN market, with Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia all getting the new version of the hatchback.

While it is called the Daihatsu Ayla, Perodua Axia and Toyota Agya, we refer to it as the Toyota Wigo in the Philippines.

The exciting thing about the Wigo is its new engine, the 1.2-liter, twin-cam, 12-valve inline-3 gasoline motor from the Toyota Raize. However, not all markets adopted this new motor. 

Over in Indonesia, the 2023 Daihatsu Ayla retains its 1.0-liter, twin-cam, 12-valve inline-3 gasoline engine in the current generation Toyota Wigo in the Philippines. 

The reasons why Daihatsu Indonesia retained the 1.0-liter motor are logical and could reflect what Toyota Philippines could do with the new version of its famous hatchback. 

Why retain the 1.0-liter motor?

As a quick backgrounder, the Daihatsu Ayla is available in Indonesia with five variants.

The first three come powered by the 1.0-liter motor, while the others get the 1.2-liter engine from the Toyota Raize. 

The former produces 67 PS and 89 Nm of torque and the latter makes 88 PS and 113 Nm of torque. 

According to Daihatsu’s data, most customers preferred the 1.0-liter motor as it targets first-time buyers who wanted a low price, but good performance.

The company also found that 55 percent of Indonesian customers preferred the smaller engine because of familiarity with the motor.

It could also be the case for the Philippine market, as many Wigo owners are used to the 1.0-liter engine and its quirks. 

However, from a logistics standpoint, it's another engine that Toyota must stock up on parts to keep up with maintenance demands. 

So, no 1.2-liter for the Philippines?

To keep things competitive for the Philippine market, the 1.0-liter engine could be retained for the localized version of the 2023 Toyota Wigo.

Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP) may follow the logic of Daihatsu and retain the 1.0-liter motor to keep the pricing of the new hatchback competitive in the market.

The Toyota Wigo is, after all, an entry-level hatchback that needs to fit within a specific price range while delivering great features.

Toyota could give the 2023 Toyota Wigo a continuously variable transmission to help maximize the fuel efficiency and power of the 1.0-liter motor. It would be a logical choice as the new Japanese hatchback is larger than the older model. 

TMP has yet to release an official announcement about the 2023 Toyota Wigo as its local specifications have yet to be determined.

However, we suspect that the Japanese automaker will focus first on the likes of the new Toyota Innova and Toyota Vios before releasing the latest version of the Wigo.

What sort of powertrain would you like to see under the hood of the next-generation Toyota Wigo?

Did you enjoy this story? Give it five stars now below!