The SUV is based on the same version of the automaker’s TNGA global platform as the new Yaris small car.
The Yaris Cross will be built alongside the Yaris at Toyota’s plant in Valenciennes, France, at a rate of 150,000 a year, Toyota said. The SUV’s market launch is set for 2021.
The Yaris Cross is Toyota’s entry into the booming small SUV segment, which last year accounted for more than 2 million sales in Europe, according to data from JATO Dynamics.
Toyota aims to grab an 8 percent share in the segment with the Yaris Cross, which was unveiled in April and is due to arrive at showrooms next year. If Toyota achieves its market share goal, the Yaris Cross would have ranked fifth in the small SUV segment based on 2019 figures.
The sector is led by the Renault Captur, followed by the Dacia Duster, Volkswagen T-Roc and Peugeot 2008. The larger Toyota CH-R was sixth in the compact SUV segment last year with sales of 121,095, JATO figures show.
The Yaris Cross will be available initially as a hybrid, using the same drivetrain as the Yaris hybrid, which is based around a 1.5-liter three-cylinder engine for a combined power output in the Cross of 116 hp. The engine runs on a hybrid-optimized Atkinson cycle.