We do not represent anymore Yaris, the star city car in Europe and France. Launched in 1999 at home, the small Japanese was opposed to the trend of European models at the time. Clio, 206, Corsa, Fiesta. At that time, this very fashionable category on the Old Continent was dominated by European manufacturers. Big rival Nissan managed to place its Micra in a good place in our market, and Toyota could not sit idly by.

Of course, he distributed his Starlet there at the time, but this model was not thought out and developed specifically for Europe. It lacked all the comfort and safety equipment so dear to the target audience that it had to start from scratch. Even his name Yaris, Latin-sounding and reminiscent of a flowerleft no doubt about the countries for which it was mainly intended…

Assembly in France for more than 20 years

Another great new feature of this city car was its factory! After several decades of economic protectionism, Japanese manufacturers gradually came to Europe in the 1980s. Great Britain was the first to open its doors to them. Then the disastrous situation of the British group British Leyland forced Margaret Thatcher to bring foreign builders to the territory. This was done in 1984 with the grand opening of the first European Nissan plant in Sunderland.

Honda and then Toyota followed in Swindon and Burnaston. All this means that when the Yaris comes out in the late 20th century, Toyota has not been officially represented in Europe for a long time. This small city car will also embody the expansionist desire of the group, which wanted to diversify its production centers in Europe. The north of France was chosen for the meeting of the new Yaris. The region’s skilled labor force and proximity to the United Kingdom favor the site.

10 million Yaris

It is in Onnain, not far from Valenciennes that the very first copy of the European Yaris comes out with great fanfare. Since then, his success has not weakened, and it passed through four generations. Everything is assembled on site. Its success can be attributed to several factors. Toyota’s excellent experience in assembly and build quality. But also, agree, a well-thought-out model for Europeans, p cute face no frills compared to some Japanese models. And of course, Toyota’s successful bet on hybrid technologies. Purchased in 1997 with the first Prius, this know-how has been applied to the third generation Yaris since 2011. It has been the undisputed queen of hybrid city cars for more than ten years. Strategies and efforts that paid off as a new record was just achieved. This Thursday at noon, the plant in Onnain rolled out the ten millionth copy of the Yaris. A sacred reward for one who is the first French factory in terms of production. THE crossover Yaris Cross was also the most produced model in France in 2022!