Drew Dowdell

A few weeks back we reported that the Toyota Yaris hatchback that we all knew and ...er... loved... would be ending production but we also found out that there was a possibility that the model name would continue in the form of a rebadged Mazda 2 hatchback like the Yaris Sedan. Yesterday, those suspicions were confirmed. Toyota released details ahead of the New York International Auto Show of the coming 2020 Toyota Yaris Hatchback. Like the sedan, it is based on the Mazda 2 but with a Toyota front clip and badging. Surprisingly, it is larger than the old model. Wheelbase is up by 2.4 inches over the outgoing model and features a trunk area with almost 16 cubic feet of room. Toyota describes the styling as "Cab-Rearward", giving the hatchback a hunkered down bulldog like look. The interior is standard issue Mazda with Toyota badging and we expect it to be excellent for the class. Toyota claims the Yaris Hatch will be a hoot to drive due to its use of ultra-high tensile steel frame. The high structural integrity combined with a MacPherson Strut front suspension and torsion beam rear suspension have been tuned for handling agility and comfort. The Yaris will come in just two trims, LE and XLE, both equipped with Navigation hardware (SD card with Maps sold separately), but you could also use the standard Apple Car Play or Android Auto for navigation on the standard 7-inch touchscreen. Stepping up to the XLE brings faux leather in gray or black, automatic climate control, rain-sensing wipers, automatic LED headlamps, and leather trim on the steering wheel, shift knob, and parking brake. Both trims of the Yaris will be equipped standard with low-speed pre-collision safety system, dynamic stability control, traction control, ABS, brake assist, and brake override systems. Powering the Yaris will be the same engine as in the Yaris Sedan, a 1.5 liter inline 4-cylinder that produces 106 horsepower and 103 lb-ft of torque. This engine has direct injection and a 12.0:1 compression ratio. A 6-speed automatic is the only transmission choice. No word yet on pricing, but expect a small bump over the $15,450 of the Yaris Sedan. The Yaris will debut on April 17th at the New York Auto Show and go on sale later this year.

Truck owner loyalty is legendary. Buyers typically pick one brand and stick with that brand for as long as they buy trucks. Indeed my own father has owned only one brand of pickup, the Ford F-series, since before I arrived on earth. In 2018, Ford moved more than 900,000 copies of its F-series pickups out of a total segment of 2,944,395. But have rising prices started to crack that loyalty? CarGurus did a survey and found that 70% of truck owners would switch brands if their truck raised prices by $10,000, that is up from 64% last year. While $10,000 seems like a big jump, even an increase of $5,000 would cause 42% of owners to ditch their current brand. Of those considering switching brands, 54% responded that it was due to price, and 47% cited fuel economy as a concern. More concerning for manufacturers is that 17% of current truck owners say they are unlikely to buy another truck, with Toyota and Ford truck owners being 43% of that total. We may see some strong incentive competition in the market soon if these trends continue.

Volvo is planning on releasing an all-electric version of its Volvo XC40 crossover sometime later this year. This will be the first pure EV under the Volvo brand and the second one in the automaker group after the Polstar 2 that was shown at the Geneva Auto Show earlier this year. In addition to the all-electric version, Volvo will reportedly be offering a 3-cylinder plug-in hybrid version of the XC40, though no official specs have been announced yet. Two variations would be offered, at T4 Twin-Engine and T5 Twin-Engine. While the Polestar 2 is aiming for a 275 mile range, don't expect similar range from the taller and flatter XC40, but somewhere in the 225 area should be doable. Volvo is expecting 25% of sales to be plug-in hybrids, up from the 10% - 15% of sales today. Volvo's goals for electric vehicles is even higher, with an aim for a full 50% of sales by 2025.