Unfortunately for the Japanese car maker, after years of success, Toyota finds it self in a strange position. After the March 11 earthquake that disrupted the supply chain, the automaker has struggled to regain its stride for months and at the same time Toyota is stuck with a quickly aging lineup.
Even if the first half of 2011 has been rough, it appears that Toyota is now on the right road. Factories are springing back to life, and new models are primed and ready to go. A new Yaris will be ready for U.S. customers by the end of the year. The refreshed Yaris should look an awful lot like the attractive JDM Vitz/Yaris that was unveiled in Japan back in December.
Auto Observer claims that the new Yaris will feature all new sheet metal and an updated interior design, but the bases and powertrains will remain largely intact.
When the refreshed Yaris bows, it will join a new Camry that couldn’t appear fast enough.
We believe that Toyota has chosen the best way for a revival, because competition is fierce and if you stay behind the technology and market requirements, people will forget you and, consequently, sales can drop drastically.
Source: Autoblog
