The range in the most compact class is thinning out considerably, but there are brands that still see the potential. Toyota is one of them. The Japanese prepare a new Aygo, who largely copes with his ‘big’ brother.
In the run-up to the current decade, various car manufacturers have gone through the A segment. At least, different brands don’t find it that interesting anymore. The most compact models yield relatively little to manufacturers, because there is hardly any profit margin. So you need big sales numbers to get it profitable. That is why the Volkswagen Up / Seat Mii / Skoda Citigo, Ford Ka, Opel Karl, Peugeot 108 and Citroën C1 (for the time being) are without a successor. The last two were (just like the first three) of course part of triplets, with the Toyota Aygo third. The French have not yet made a decision on a new compact model, but Toyota does not let grass grow on it.
The Japanese continue on their own. They think it is still a good move to stick to the A segment. Previously, Toyota hinted that an Aygo successor may only make sense as a fully electric model, but now the brand seems to go for a traditional approach again. In the meantime, the new Aygo has been camouflaged and appeared on European roads and on photos we just see a cloud of smoke coming out of an exhaust. An electric Aygo would otherwise have come out of the blue at this stage. Toyota is preparing its first modular EV platform (e-TNGA), but on that basis we do not expect the first model until the middle of this decade; a RAV4-sized SUV.
Close to the Yaris
So it’s not that far yet for the Aygo. The platform of the departing Aygo, which is shared with the French, is expected to make way for a shortened version of the TNGA base on which the current Yaris sits. Familiar territory for Toyota and a platform that has already been able to prove itself in a compact format. Not only under the skin do we expect similarities with the Yaris, because also in appearance the Aygo creeps closer to the B-segmenter. At the rear we see most of the second generation, but the nose is nicely in line with the Yaris and the Yaris Cross. The Aygo will optically appear a bit wider and lower than its predecessor and it is likely that the tape measure also confirms that image. In terms of interior space, it will undoubtedly work out favorably.
Now the question is which form of drive Toyota will use. In the current Aygo, the Japanese already supplied their own, several times further developed 1.0 three-cylinder from the same engine family as the 72 hp 1.0 that is currently in the entry-level version of the Yaris. That was the only choice. Possibly there is also a 1.5 Hybrid in the barrel because of its future relationship with the Yaris. That power source, which runs according to the Atkinson principle, comes to a system power of 116 hp in the Yaris. This would of course be the opportunity for Toyota to market even its smallest model as a hybrid. Maybe we will know for sure this year, because we dare to cautiously bet on a disclosure at the end of 2021.
Predecessors
Almost 16 years ago, Toyota entered the compact market together with Peugeot and Citroen, with the first generation of the triplets created together. The Aygo had a clearly different design from the 107 and C1 to be sufficiently distinctive. Partly thanks to a subtle facelift in 2012, the first Aygo could eventually be sold for seven years.
The first generation of the Aygo
The second generation of the triplets ushered in an even more eccentric chapter for the Aygo. With its X-shaped muzzle and much larger rear lights, the little one looked very different from its French brothers. With a fairly solid facelift in 2018, the black-colored X disappeared from the nose, but it did get physically sharper folds in return.
The current Aygo
Success number
The Aygo quickly grew into one of the best-selling Toyotas in the Netherlands in recent decades. With over 133,000 copies sold, he only has to tolerate the Yaris and Corolla. The best year was 2011, when no fewer than 15,250 Aygo’s were sold. In 2020, the A-segmenter came out on a still neat 6,294 units. The best year of the current Aygo was a year earlier; 8,659 copies found their first owner in 2019.