At a time when many brands seem to "escape" from the A segment in search of the higher profit margins offered by the segment above, here is the news that the Toyota Aygo will indeed have a successor.
According to Johan van Zyl, director of Toyota Europe, told Autocar, the Aygo should continue to be produced in Kolin, Czech Republic — a factory that belonged to PSA and which has now been bought entirely by Toyota — and will be developed in Brussels, at Belgium.
Also about the future of the Toyota Aygo, while presenting the new Yaris, the vice president of Toyota Europe, Matt Harrison, had told Autocar that the model makes a profit, recalling that around 100,000 units/year are sold and that Aygo is “the most relevant model for younger customers and the “gateway” to the Toyota range”.
Electric future? Maybe not
Still regarding Toyota's more than likely maintenance in the A-segment, Matt Harrison said: “I understand that other brands have not been able to achieve profits in the A-segment and that, with the increase in technologies, they foresee an even worse scenario. But we see this as an opportunity to move forward, not retreat.”
Subscribe to our newsletter
As for the future Toyota Aygo, Harrison believes that the market is not yet fully ready for 100% electric city models, saying “We can take a little longer and wait for the technology to mature, the market to evolve and see where the follow the demands of consumers”.
By the way, still about the electrification of city models, Harrison recalled: “the segment of small cars is all about low prices (…) so maybe it is not the ideal candidate for a total electrification”.
Finally, Matt Harrison also mentioned that the next Toyota Aygo may adopt a less traditional format, leaving in the air the possibility that it will assume a profile close to that of a mini-SUV or crossover.
As for the arrival date of the new Aygo, it is unlikely to see the light of day before 2021 or 2022, with Toyota trying to capitalize on the departure of several A-segment brands to its advantage (after all, a drastic drop in the number of competitors from the little Aygo in the coming years).