RIP: Pour One Out for the Toyota Yaris Hatch

In a less-than-shocking turn of events, Toyota has confirmed to CarsDirect that its Yaris Liftback, a slow-selling model that managed to score itself a facelift a few years back, is dead in the United States.

Official confirmation of the model’s discontinuation came from Toyota spokesperson Nancy Hubbell. Starting at $16,565 after destination, the diminutive hatch’s sales paled in comparison to that of its Mazda-based namesake, the Yaris sedan. To all observers, the Yaris hatch was a dead car … driving.

Yaris Liftback sales were on a collision course with the earth’s surface for all of 2018. Overall volume dropped 77.6 percent last year, with December’s tally of just 98 vehicles — and the fact that Toyota hadn’t placed a 2019 model on its consumer website — foretelling the model’s fate.

Of the 27,209 Yaris vehicles sold in 2018, just 1,940 features a liftgate.

Powered by a 1.5-liter inline-four (whose only dance partner was a four-speed automatic), the Yaris hatch couldn’t boast the sharper handling of its sedan sibling, which is actually just a Mazda 2 in disguise. The model has the distinction of coming in a two-door version, not that you ever saw any on the roads.

Tears? There won’t be many — especially not from Tim Cain, who earlier this week held up his lacklustre Yaris loaner as Exhibit A when describing why buyers aren’t hot on subcompacts. The more competent 2019 Yaris sedan stickers for $16,380, so all is not lost for lovers of small Toyota cars.

It seems Toyota sat on the fence for a while, mulling the Yaris Liftback’s death. According to CarsDirect, fleet documents “listed 2019 Yaris Liftback production as ‘TBA’ for months well after the brand issued ordering guides. It’s not every day that an automaker issues order guides for a car it doesn’t end up building.”

Through correspondence with Toyota’s Hubbell, the publication learned that Toyota has something to show off in that space that hasn’t already been revealed.

“Additionally, we’re working on something new for MY2020 and look forward to seeing you at the New York Auto Show for more details,” Hubbell wrote.

Any thoughts on what this mystery vehicle might be?

[Images: Toyota]