DNGA-based Toyota Yaris Cross Debuts in Thailand – Malaysia Next?

Making its inaugural debut in Thailand today is the all-new DNGA-based (AC200) Toyota Yaris Cross. Built and developed specifically for the ASEAN region, this compact crossover arrives in three guises in the Thai market, with all of them powered by the same hybrid powertrain.

This means that all Thai-bound Yaris Crosses will hide a 1.5-litre 4-cyl nat-asp 2NR mill under its hood, which works in-tandem with a single hybrid electric motor to deliver 91 PS and 121 NM. More importantly, Toyota claims this setup can deliver a stellar fuel economy figure of 26.3 KM per litre or 3.8 litres per 100 KM, making it one of the most fuel-efficient vehicles in its segment.

The Thai-bound Yaris Cross will be locally-assembled at Toyota Motor Thailand's facility

Locally-assembled (CKD) at Toyota Motor Thailand’s facility in Chachoengsao, the Thai-spec Yaris Cross boasts similar mechanical bits as its Indonesian counterparts, including the front-wheel drive (FWD) setup with an e-CVT gearbox, as well as similar damper and brake setups.

Arriving in three variants, the baseline Yaris Cross Smart model gets the most basic equipment, which includes full-LED headlights and taillights, LED front fog lamps, 17-inch alloy wheels, while its cabin is laced with PU and PVC synthetic leather upholstery. Other basic cabin equipment includes a 10-inch infotainment display with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, 7-inch digital instrument cluster, electronic parking brake (EPB), auto climate control, and multiple USB charging ports.

Opting for the mid-specced Premium variant adds several equipment like snazzier 17-inch dual-tone alloy wheels, black-hued PU leather upholstery, as well as a six-speaker sound system. More importantly, the Premium guise also comes standard with Toyota Safety Sense (TSS) ADAS suite, which adds features like pedal misoperation control, front departure alert, as well as blind spot monitors (BSM) with rear cross-traffic alert (RCTA).

Sitting on top is the Premium Luxury variant, which adds some new luxury features, as its name suggests. Key highlights include two-tone exterior colour options, six-speaker Pioneer sound system, 8-way power-adjustable front seats, wireless charging pad, welcome lights on the front doors, as well as a panoramic sunroof. On top of that, the model also gets a 360-degree camera view and a Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) as standard.

Surprisingly, the Thais are not getting the souped-up GR Sport variant of the Yaris Cross as we’ve seen in the Indonesian market, though we’d reckon Toyota Motor Thailand (TMT) will add this special variant some time in the future.

The Toyota Yaris Cross is priced slightly cheaper in the Thai market

The Thai-bound Toyota Yaris Cross (AC200) starts at THB 789,000 (RM100,749) for the baseline Smart variant, while the Premium model commands a higher THB 849,000 (RM108,410) price tag. Meanwhile, the current range-topping Premium Luxury model is tagged at THB 899,000 (RM114,795).

For comparison, the Yaris Cross is on sale in Indonesia at a price range of IDR 315 million to IDR 449.95 million (RM109,000 to RM140,000 approx.), making the Thai ones slightly cheaper.

As for now, UMW Toyota Motors (UMWT) does not reveal any plans on bringing in the AC200 Yaris Cross into our local market. However, several rumours around the mill suggest that this compact crossover might be rebadged as a Perodua model. If you ever wonder how is the Perodua-badged Yaris Cross might look, we’d reckon this Perodua Nexis rendering by Theottle gives us a pretty good glimpse on it.