Toyota is arguably Japan's most recognized brands in all of automotive history, ranging from the most luxurious Century to the best sounding car in the world, the LFA, and featuring largely in pop culture and movies like Fast & Furious and Initial D as hero cars. So, its not better way to start this brand off than by tracking the incredible 60-year evolution of its small-car DNA: a legendary lineage spanning the Publica, the cult-classic Starlet, the game-changing Vitz, and today's rally-bred Yaris.
During the early days of the Japanese automobile industry, a "national car" was needed by the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI). It need to have a maximum speed over 100 kph, a weight below 400 kg, a fuel consumption not exceeding 30 km/L at the average speed of 60 kph on a level road, but also the requirement that the car would not break down or require significant repairs for at least 100,000 kilometers. Toyota created the Publica for this specific task.
Pre-Starlet: The Publica
The "Publica" name is actually a portmanteau of the words "public" and "car", but due to the similarities between the "l" and "r" consonants in Japanese language, it was often misinterpreted as the Toyota Paprika instead...
The Toyota Publica was produced from 1961 - 1978 with 3 generations in total and came in many different body styles like coupes, sedans, convertibles, station wagons and pickup trucks!
A Brief Toyota Chassis Code Lesson
Toyota uses a strict code-and-character based system of "Engine" + "Chassis" + "Generation" + "Body Shape". These first Toyota Publica's were powered by 697 cc U air-cooled OHV Flat 2, was on the P (for Publica) chassis, was the first of its kind (obviously) and to cover the whole generation as a whole, you would use "0". The final result for the first Publica is the UP10!
So now...
Rather than repeating the standard Wikipedia timeline, this retrospective skips the dry data. Instead, we're focusing on the DNA of the Publica, Starlet, and Vitz/Yaris line; highlighting only the unique trim levels, unexpected engineering leaps, and cult-favourite models that defined each generation.
The Starlet
The name "Starlet" means "a small star, burning brightly", referencing the entry-level hatchback that would soon become a long lasting model in Toyota's expansive model lineup!
The first generation P40/P50 Toyota Starlet was originally only available in a coupe style, but a sedan was later added to its generation. The coupe's design was actually penned by Italian car designer Giorgetto Giugiaro (who I DEFINITELY need to write about!) and it looked like a "Choro Q Corolla". It's often nicknamed the "baby Celica" as well. This generation came with just the 993 cc 2K and 1,166 cc 3K motors, but did include the new 2-speed "Toyoglide" automatic!
The second generation P60 has to be the "halo car" of the whole Starlet line, with the famous KP61 being placed in the JDM hall of fame in New Zealand, as well as having its own Hot Wheels model! The KP61 is also special, as it was the ONLY Starlet ever sold in the United States and therefore its cult following is huge because of that too!
As the late 80's came by, the third generation P70 Starlet was unveiled, featuring a new "boxy" shape, following other late 80's hatches like the EF Civic and Fiat Panda. It was available in 3-door, 5-door hatch configurations, and also included a 5-door van too! Gone was the use of Toyota's K engine, and in came the use of the E-block petrol and N-block diesel engines. The Turbo S (EP71) was the signature performance model of this generation, which featured a distinctive extended aero package and roof spoiler; and not to mention, the 2E-TELU Turbocharged inline 4! The Turbo S also featured Toyota new active suspension, called TEMS (Toyota Electronic Modulated Suspension).
I used to own a Glanza S myself, my dream was to always have the Starlet Remix, which was a lifted, rugged 5-door hatch. It came in all the standard colours of the P90 Starlet, but also included a bright orange called "Flash Orange"! It had body cladding, a ladder and a hatch-mounted spare tire.
The Starlet ended production in 1999, but the nameplate returned to be used for a Suzuki Baleno based car, sold by Indian-operated Maruti-Suzuki (below, white). The Glanza name was also revived for a 2020 car in South Africa (below, red). Suzuki is owned by Toyota, and so they are able to use the name.
Post-Starlet: Yaris
With more and more sales, Toyota need to fill the niche with more options. So the Yaris was the answer! Just like the Publica, the first generation XP10/XP20 Yaris contained more than 1 body style, but unlike its predecessor used different nameplates to differentiate the body styles; with the hatchback being the "Vitz" or "Echo" and the sedan being the "Platz"! (The Echo was also used for the 2-door coupe version of the Platz).
The development of the new "XP" chassis came from 3 Toyota concepts shown off at the 1997 Frankfurt Motor Show: the Funtime (a 3-door hatch, very reminiscent of the actual production car), the Funcoupe (a wedge-shaped 2-door, notchback coupe, not dissimilar to Honda's CRX del Sol), and the Funcargo (which would later be revised into the production Funcargo that used the same chassis as the XP10 Yaris). All 3 of these concept were heavily influenced by the late-90's "Plastic Revolution" and the styling was very much like that of the "Cyber Y2K" design language that was soon to be populated by the likes of the Apple iMac G3 and portable CD players!
The name "Platz" comes from the German word "space", as the car focused on interior volume, while keeping the whole structure small. (I would know. I owned one as my first car.) The name "Vitz" is a phonetic Anglicized spelling of the German word "Witz", meaning "wit", as Toyota wanted the tiny hatchback to have a youthful character! Lastly, the name "Yaris" come from "Charis", which is a reference to Charites, the Greek goddesses of charm and beauty!
The most notable cars from the first generation were 5-door Yaris TS, better known as the Echo Sportivo and the 3-door Vitz RS. Both were powered by a new 1NZ-FE Turbo inline 4 and featured much more aggressive aero styling,
2005 saw the second generation car. It was designated XP90 and built on the new B platform, upgrading its rigidity from the XP10/20 NBC platform. But whereas the XP10 Vitz and Platz could be told apart from the front, the new XP90 Vitz and Belta looked exactly the same from the front, but just that the Belta was the new sedan's name. The Belta was also named the Vios in selected Asian markets. The name "Belta" is a portmanteau of the Italian words "Bella gente", meaning "beautiful people"; and the name "Vios" means "to go forwards" in Latin, which is synonymous with Toyota's slogan of "Moving Forward" and the time that car was released!
The Vitz RS of this generation was powered by a 1.5 L 1NZ-FTE engine and featured 16 inch alloy wheels, an RS-badged front grille mesh, new tail lamps, extended aero, as well as sports tuned steering, suspension and disc brakes. The JDM model of this car had 4WD as an option for automatic models, but manual one were limited to just FWD. Japan also had large support from TRD, and there is multiple special edition models like the Vitz TRD Racing, Vitz TRD Sport M and the turbocharged Vitz TRD Turbo M.
The third generation car was the 2010 XP130 and was rather a deep facelift rather than a fully new car, as it was still using the B platform. The car featured many facelift throughout its production until the end of 2020. During this time, Toyota's TRD was slowly phased out and replaced by Gazoo Racing, so the new car had a special edition called the Vitz/Yaris GRMN Turbo, which stood for "Gazoo Racing, tuned by the Meister of the Nรผrburgring".
These early 2013 models were limited to just 200 models (only for Japan) and were powered by a similar engine to the XP90 Vitz RS, and had minor styling changes; but the big leap came in 2017 with a more aggressive looking hatch with the newer Gazoo Racing styling that is still being used today. This newer car was powered by a Lotus-tuned, supercharged 1.8 L 2ZR-FE, which is also being used in the Series 3 Lotus Elise! 150 of these new ones were built for Japan, and 400 more were built for the European market.
After this, the Vitz name was disbanded, but only returned in 2023 for a rebadged third-generation Suzuki Celerio for the African market.
Presently...
The current Yaris shares its platform with Mazda's new Demio/2 and is only available as a 5-door hatchback and its most interesting special variant isn't even any of those, but the new shape Mitsuoka Viewt Story, which looks like the Jaguar Mark 2 of the 1960's. (I'll have to go over Mitsuoka history another day). This shape Yaris was also available as a 2-seater van (Yaris Hybrid ECOVan) and sadly, as a crossover.... (I guess the only saving grace is that Lexus used the crossover platform to make the LBX Morizo RR!)
The Gazoo parts list is available for the standard Yaris in the form of the Yaris GR Sport, but its only available as a hybrid with a boring CVT transmission. The proper version we will focus on is the 3-door GR Yaris which was the result of World Rally Championship homologation rules. It is extremly different from the standard XP210 Yaris 5-door, with 4WD, a proper motor and the rear of the car based on the larger E210 Corolla, of which there is also a GR version! The GR Yaris is Toyota CEO's Akio Toyoda's passion project and is the only car built with its own purpose within the GR range. It also differs from the GR86 (which was co-developed with Subaru for the BRZ) and the GR Supra (which was co-developed with BMW and Magna Steyr for the Z4); in that it is solely developed by Toyota, with assistance from Gazoo Racing's race branch.
The GR Yaris was powered by a 257 - 268 hp / 360 - 370 Nm 1.6 L G16E-GTS inline 3 with a turbocharger, which sent power through either a 6-speed EA67F manual or an 8-speed GR-DAT automatic gearbox (2024 onwards) to a GR-FOUR permanent 4WD system. It was 1,280 kg.
Japan did get an entry grade version with a 118 hp 1.5 L M15A-FKS inline 3 with a 10-speed CVT called the GR Yaris RS and it was lighter due to it only being a FWD model. It weighed 1,130 kg. 2 years later in 2022, a Light Package was available that decreased the weight of the car further to 1,110 kg. This continued into the second generation GR Yaris' life as the GR Yaris RC instead, featuring the new bodywork styling.
GRMN did return for the 2022 year with a limited-production variant based on the GR Yaris RZ. Only 500 were built. These cars had increased torque output to 390 Nm, a retuned close-ration gearbox, a reinforced metal clutch on the dual-mass flywheel, the bonnet and roof material was changed to Carbon Fiber-Reinforced Polymers (CFRP) to reduce weight by 20 kg and more structural rigidity.
It had extra options like a "Circuit Package" (which featured 18-inch BBS GRMN wheels, 18-inch brakes, Bilstein adjustable shock absorbers, CFRP rear spoiler and extended aero; below, Grey) or "Rally Package" (which featured GR shock absorbers, GR under guards, mudflaps and full GR roll-cage; below, Red).
The second generation GR Yaris had an upgraded engine with 300 hp and 400 Nm of torque, which put its output on par with the GR Corolla. The new car also had a stronger valvetrain, a new exhaust valve, an increase in pressure for fuel injection, a new air intake pressure sensor and lighter pistons. Of course, the body and suspension were also upgraded to fit the more powerful motor with more rigidity; and while the first generation GR Yaris shared its dashboard with the contemporary poverty-spec Yaris, the 2024 model included a more driver-centric design. In Japan, there is more aero upgrade options like extended aero, air ducts and larger spoilers.
This newer GR Yaris also included special limited editions like the Sebastien Ogier Edition which was unveiled at the 2024 Rallye Monte-Carlo alongside the Kalle Rovanperรค Edition. Both were limited to 100 for Japan and 100 for Europe. The S.O. Edition vehicles were all painted in matte stealth grey, had special BBS "French flag" designed wheels, a new radiator grille, blue calipers and a tri-colour steering wheel stitching. The K.R. Edition vehicles feature a full livery, a variable wing spoiler, and new 4WD controls labelled "DONUT" and "KALLE" replacing the "GRAVEL" and "TRACK" switches. The "DONUT" mode is essentially a drift button.
In 2026, Toyota Gazoo Racing unveiled the GR Yaris Morizo RR at Tokyo Auto Salon 2026 (which I went to). Again, 100 will be for Japan, and 100 will be for Europe. The car has new steering wheel switches that are inspired by the GR Yaris Rally2 rally car and the "GRAVEL" switch has been replaced by a "MORIZO" switch instead. The steering wheel is also smaller than the standard car and has modified paddle shifters. The exterior of the car also features redesigned aero and a generous use of carbon fiber!
Conclusion
From its humble beginnings as an air-cooled econobox, Toyota's subcompact lineage has spent over 60 years quietly morphing from basic transportation into a giant-killing dynasty. Though the Publica, Starlet, and even the Vitz have moved on, the modern Yaris actively battles against modern trans and social norms of EV conversion, and unrelated trademarked nameplate placements, to stay true to its origins of a small little hatchback that everybody loves. In an automotive landscape increasingly dominated by sterile, high-riding crossover, this line's unassuming box on wheels with the power and handling to shame larger cars is exactly what we need in a world evolving to crossover and SUV normality.
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