Hot off the press from launching five new GR and GR Sport models here in Malaysia, UMW Toyota has now unveiled a new trailer on its website and social media channels, hinting at yet another launch.
The cryptic trailer introduces a new ‘Defy’ tagline, with the short ad spot reading “defy perceptions, defy limits, defy norm” – which is as good as not saying anything at all. So what on earth could it be?
For whatever reason, many media outlets online are guessing it’s the all-new Toyota Vios. It’s a fair guess though, as the compact sedan is due for a refresh here in Malaysia – we’ve also made the same prediction when the company announced that it’ll be unveiling a new hybrid model here on our shores soon… but could it be?
The all-new Toyota Vios made its global debut in Thailand back in August 2022, and has since also been launched in Indonesia. In the Land of Smiles, the compact sedan – known as the Yaris Ativ there – retains the market-specific 1.2-litre naturally-aspirated inline-four engine with 94 hp and 110 Nm, as per the nation’s eco car standards.
READ MORE: We can’t decide if the all-new 2022 Toyota Vios looks good or bad
In Indonesia however, the all-new Toyota Vios is powered by a 1.5-litre four-cylinder mill, the same 2NR-VE unit that we’ve seen on the Perodua Myvi with 106 hp and 138 Nm. Like the Myvi, the engine here is also paired to a D-CVT gearbox – we’re expecting this to be the standard configuration that we’ll be getting here in Malaysia.
But what about the hybrid? An electrified variant of the all-new Toyota Vios has been long rumoured, and it’s expected to feature a series hybrid system based on Daihatsu’s e-Smart Hybrid, as seen on the Perodua Ativa Hybrid. However, the hybrid Vios has yet to be launched globally, and we’re unsure if we’ll be the ones to get first dibs on that…
Aside from the Vios, our next best guess would be the all-new Toyota Innova, which made its global debut just a couple of months ago in November 2022. Whatever the car is, though, we won’t have much longer to wait.
“The countdown has started. Brace for it,” reads Toyota’s webpage for the new ‘Defy’ campaign, alongside a date in bold – 24 February 2023. Can you guess what Toyota is planning before this Friday? Let us know in the comments below!
