For Wheels correspondent in Thailand, Mr. Peter Lee, has reported that the all new 3rd generation Toyota Vios will be officially unveiled in Bangkok next week.
To be launched well ahead of the upcoming Bangkok International Motor Show 2007 (from March 30 � April 8, 2007), the new sub-compact sedan based on the Yaris, is actually a rebadged and tropicalised version of the JDM Toyota Belta.
In a departure from the usual Soluna/Soluna-Vios lineage, this popular sedan is no longer based on a cost-cutting ASEAN market platform. For instance, the 1st generation Soluna was based on the 80�s Toyota Tercel underpinnings. The second generation Soluna-Vios meanwhile, is pretty much an ASEAN only model which was not available in Japan. Both models obviously had no DNA linkages to the previous Yaris/Echo/Vitz hatchback.
On the other hand � and ironically - Toyota Vios� main competitor, the upcoming all-new 3rd generation Honda City is rumoured to have a bargain-basement ASEAN platform, unrelated to the all-new Jazz/Fit design and structure.
A reversal of roles in the cards for both these highly anticipated replacement models? In Malaysia, the all-new 2nd generation Toyota Vios (we never had the sub-standard 1st gen Soluna anyway) is rumoured due as early as Q4 2007.
Watch this space for more updates as the new Belta�oops! I mean all-new Vios comes unwrapped in Thailand�.
To be launched well ahead of the upcoming Bangkok International Motor Show 2007 (from March 30 � April 8, 2007), the new sub-compact sedan based on the Yaris, is actually a rebadged and tropicalised version of the JDM Toyota Belta.
In a departure from the usual Soluna/Soluna-Vios lineage, this popular sedan is no longer based on a cost-cutting ASEAN market platform. For instance, the 1st generation Soluna was based on the 80�s Toyota Tercel underpinnings. The second generation Soluna-Vios meanwhile, is pretty much an ASEAN only model which was not available in Japan. Both models obviously had no DNA linkages to the previous Yaris/Echo/Vitz hatchback.
On the other hand � and ironically - Toyota Vios� main competitor, the upcoming all-new 3rd generation Honda City is rumoured to have a bargain-basement ASEAN platform, unrelated to the all-new Jazz/Fit design and structure.
A reversal of roles in the cards for both these highly anticipated replacement models? In Malaysia, the all-new 2nd generation Toyota Vios (we never had the sub-standard 1st gen Soluna anyway) is rumoured due as early as Q4 2007.
Watch this space for more updates as the new Belta�oops! I mean all-new Vios comes unwrapped in Thailand�.
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