When you are new to a segment and try to adapt as per the group norms, there is more than just a good chance that it would not be long enough before the already established players force you out… And why would not they?… The playing field belongs to them. Toyota must have had a host of such questions at its disposal when it decided to launch it’s new offering the Toyota Yaris in the mid-size sedan space in India. However, in a move which seems inspired by Sun Tzu’s ART of WAR, Toyota has completely changed the landscape that defined the mid-size sedan segment in India. Toyota Yaris, India’s safest Midsize Sedan, comes equipped with a host of new high-end segment-unique features that now redefines the mid-size sedan space and leaves its competitors with a lot of catch up work to do.

The USP of the Toyota Yaris is its safety features. In a first of its kind move, the Yaris comes loaded with seven airbags (driver, passenger, two sides, two, and knee) irrespective of the variants. Yaris on road competitors Hyundai Verna, Honda City and Maruti Ciaz has two airbags. And not just the segment rivals, most car brands in India at most provide two airbags in their base variants. Yaris has emerged as the new benchmark setter for passenger safety across all segments in India. In the words of a senior Toyota official, “Safety is now a top priority for car buyers in India irrespective of cost. Even in remote areas the first question that Toyota faced from potential car buyers was about the number of airbags in the car”. Further, the New Car Assessment Program for Southeast Asian Countries (ASEAN NCAP) bestowed five-star safety ratings on the Toyota Yaris.

Some other safety features which deserve a mention include:

Standard Variant

• ABS and EBD.
• Front parking sensors (a segment-first) as standard

Premium Variant

• Disc brakes on all four wheels (on the V and VX versions).
• ESP and Traction control
• Low Tyre Pressure Warning System

Other highlights that would lure potential buyers towards the Toyota Yaris include roof-mounted aircon vents, gesture-enabled touchscreen infotainment screen as well as a smart driver’s seat.

Read Also: Expert Review On 2018 Maruti Suzuki Swift

Reportedly, Toyota prides itself on being the flag bearer as far as car safety standards in India is concerned. A look down memory lane further cements the Japanese Automaker’s safety first motto.

1. Toyota was the first automaker to standardize front dual airbags across all its models with the launch of the Toyota Etios in 2015.
2. ABS and EBD were standardized for all its models with the launch of the Etios Platinum in September 2016.

As per the Toyota Official,”When there is a model refreshment (for the other vehicles), safety will be prioritized. Not just airbags, but the entire gamut of safety features will be updated”.
Toyota clearly feels that its new offering Yaris will strike a chord with the safety concerns of the Indian CarBuyer. However, as Sun Tzu writes in his book,” Showing up for a battle with all your weapons at disposal is not the perfect first move”. It would be interesting to see how far Toyota Yaris manages to penetrate the mid-size sedan segment in India. With time, we would know whether the safety renaissance of the budget-driven Automobile sector in India is a reality or Toyota’s illusion. Also, an interesting story to follow would be the rating granted by Bharat NCAP rating system to the Toyota Yaris.