Toyota/Abdul Latif Jameel (ALJ) has unveiled the 2014 Yaris in an exciting launch event themed “A New Star Coming To Town.” The all-new Yaris encompasses a more stylish and flashy exterior, smart and more spacious interiors comprising of a quiet and refined passenger cabin, enhanced safety features and responsive driving dynamics. All these outstanding specifications drive the all-new Toyota Yaris to the highest level in the compact sedan category. The 2014 Yaris reflects Toyota's “Vibrant Clarity” design theme, creating an impressive look that is a cut above comparable sedans. “The features that stand out with the Yaris 2014 are a new stylish look and dynamic performance, attributes you can find in Cristiano Ronaldo when you watch him on the pitch. This is one of the reasons why we chose him as a brand ambassador for the new Yaris 2014,” said Eng. Adel Ezzat, Managing Director of Marketing at ALJ, the authorized distributor of Toyota in Saudi Arabia. “Cristiano's engagement with Toyota also stands in line with Toyota being the official automotive partner of the Abdul Latif Jameel League. The new Yaris 2014 is a car for young people and we are glad of the fact that Toyota's role as the official automotive sponsor of the Abdul Latif Jameel League enables us to engage directly with football fans and the Toyota lovers among them. Our sponsorship objective is to add excitement to the game and we are sure that the new Yaris 2014 stands in line with this objective which is why we will find the new Yaris a regular guest in the Kingdom's stadiums.” The new look Yaris will definitely be at the top of the list for Saudi customers when they look for a sedan that combines superior value and dynamic performance with style and durability. With its increased body size to offer a spacious and class leading interior and its excellent handling stability and ride comfort, the Yaris represents Toyota's strong commitment to offer a great customer experience backed by Toyota's acclaimed quality standards and emphasis on passenger safety. At the front, the strongly taut hood of the 2014 Yaris emphasizes the flare of the fenders and wheel arches while the lower grille has a strong visual impact. Each headlamp gives the impression of a single piece of metal piercing through from the side to the front, accentuating the wide stance and creating a “mechanical” yet classy form. The side view creates a long, straight line which runs the whole length of the body. Combined with the long side window graphic, this emphasizes the impressive form. From the rear, the contrast with the taut cabin emphasizes the bold underbody while thin rear combination lamps spread out to the sides emphasize the thickness of the rear bumper for a compelling presence. The Yaris comes with a total of eight exterior colors, including three newly developed colors: The Quartz Brown ME, the Silky Beige ME color and the Frozen Blue ME color. The roomier interiors build on the car's new, bigger presence. In the rear, the front/rear seat couple distance has been increased to 912 mm (increased 10 mm from the current model). Knee clearance in the rear has been increased to approximately 672 mm (increased 57 mm from the current model). The new Yaris also enjoys larger trunk volume and excellent usability created by dimensions that allow easy loading, unloading and stowing of items of various sizes and shapes. From a safety perspective, the all-new Yaris offers an impressive array of safety features such as standard driver and front-passenger dual-stage airbags (SRS) including Whiplash Injury Lessening (WIL) for the front seats which simultaneously cushion the head and torso of the front seat occupants during a rear-end collision and alleviate the impact to the neck region to help reduce injuries to that area. Seatbelt pretensioners and force limiters are also available for the driver and front passenger seats. In common with all Toyota vehicles, the Yaris features Toyota's Star Safety System, which includes Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), Brake Assist (BA) and Electronic Brake Force Distribution (EBD). The Electronic Brake Force Distribution (EBD) utilizes ABS hydraulic control to optimize the distribution of braking force between the front and rear wheels in accordance with driving conditions and vehicle load. In the case of the innovative Brake Assist (BA) system, if the brake pedal is suddenly and rapidly depressed, the system helps the driver with braking by generating a larger braking force. The Yaris will be available with the option of a 1.5 L (1497 CC) or a 1.3 L (1299 CC) engine with the choice of a 4-speed automatic gearbox or a 5-speed manual gearbox. A new EPS (Electric Power Steering) control has also been adopted which provides feedback to the steering wheel even in a near-neutral position. To guarantee excellent handling stability and ride comfort, Toyota has focused on improving body rigidity as the foundation of vehicle performance through some new features and enhancements. A uniquely shaped, high rigidity roof (catamaran roof) has been adopted. The combination of both rigidity and a lightweight design ensures excellent handling stability. For a quiet and smooth ride, Toyota has resorted to using a variety of sound absorbing and insulating materials for the Under Body and Upper Body. An insulator is also available on the underside of the hood to reduce noise from inside the engine. Moreover, in the case of the front windshield, an acoustic glass with a three-layered construction has been adopted, minimizing wind noise and road noise. – SG
