Toyota Discontinues the Mazda 2 - Er, Yaris

Bad news to share — especially for those of you enamored with cheap, entry-level passenger cars. The Toyota Yaris sedan and hatchback will vanish after the 2020 model year.

Reworked versions of the Mazda 2, the guppy-faced Yarises greeted North American buyers in two phases after the “real” Yaris bowed out, first as a sedan and later as a hatchback. Get one while you can.

Toyota confirmed the discontinuation to CarBuzz after the publication got its hands on a memo sent to Southeastern Toyota dealers from head office. The missive warned said dealers of the looming product chop.

“The Yaris sedan and Yaris Hatchback will not be available for model year 2021. Model year 2020 will be the last year for Yaris in the U.S.,” a spokesperson from the automaker confirmed to the publication.

The Toyota-ified Mazda first appeared on these shores as the Scion iA. When that brand bit the dust, the automaker transferred the sedan to its parent division for 2017. The hatchback version came along only for the 2020 model year. Spartan, with limited choice in build configuration and trim and none in terms of power, the sedan and hatch start at $16,605 and $18,705, respectively, after destination.

As all of this was happening, Toyota unleashed a new-generation Yaris in overseas markets. There’s little hope that model could will arrive here, even in hot-hatch GR form, as neither the real nor fake Yaris sold well in recent years; in 2019, Toyota sold nearly 6,000 more Avalons than it did Yarises. Still, Toyota does aim to add some excitement to the lower end of its lineup.

In the Yaris’ absence, Nissan will no doubt tempt low-end buyers in search of a sedan with its new Versa.

[Images: Toyota]