The new Toyota Vitz, or as we'll come to know it on both sides of the Atlantic, the third generation Yaris supermini, was unveiled Wednesday in Japan. Even though what you see pictured here is the Japanese domestic market (JDM) version, as was the case with the previous generations of the Vitz, we expect the European and North American Yaris to look more or less the same when it arrives in the market late next year.
Toyota's newcomer has grown 100mm in length and now measures 3,885mm long, but is 30mm lower while keeping the same width as its predecessor. The Japanese carmaker says numerous weight saving measures has shaved off 30kg or 66 pounds, with the car tipping the scales at 1,000kg or 2,204 pounds (depending on the model).
The exterior design of the new Yaris is more sculptured and edgier, borrowing numerous styling cues from the Prius as well as the recently introduced Verso-S, with Toyota claiming a coefficient drag value of 0.285. The Vitz will also be offered with a variety of styling kits and alloy wheel designs, all developed in-house by Toyota.
The subcompact model's interior has been redesigned from the ground up and is said to feature higher quality materials and more personalization options in terms of colors, trim and upholstery.
In Japan, the Vitz will be offered with three petrol engines with a displacement of 1.0-liters (69HP), 1.3-liters (95HP) and 1.5-liters (110HP), the latter powering the sportier RS model.
The 1.3-liter unit can be combined with four-wheel drive as well as with a start-stop system, in which case, fuel consumption drops to 3.8lt/100km or 62.3 mpg US.
The European range will also include a diesel model while Toyota is also planning to introduce a hybrid version of the Yaris within the next couple of years.
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The second iteration of the FT-86 study made its first public outing at the Geneva Motor Show earlier this month. Its main purpose is to preview actual production model that will go on sale in late 2012. The well-received styling of the original concept model evolved gaining new front and rear ends, more pronounced surfaces and a host of other fresh details, with Toyota claiming that the design changes were made for safety regulations as well as for practical reasons. 
