Toyota shows off new Yaris sedan

Toyota hopes to capture the spirit of today's young, savvy and connected buyer with its latest offering the Yaris sedan.

The automaker has already sold 46,000 small cars this year, and the 2016 version of the Yaris, which shares a platform with the Mazda2, should add to that number.

It comes in two models: Manual and automatic, both powered by a 1.5-litre four-cylinder that returns a combined average fuel economy of about 6.5 L/100 km.

The base manual, as the name would suggest, is the only one that gets the six-speed manual gearbox, while every Yaris sedan gets push-button start and a host of other standard features like cruise control and power windows and locks.

Many people are saying that it is basically a Mazda2, but that is not the entire story.

Consider for a moment the business case for this model.

Toyota simply has no more plant capacity to produce this vehicle, so it opted for a joint venture with Mazda to produce the new Yaris.

It is produced in Mexico and meets all of Toyota's engineering and quality mandates, and the bottom line is that by building it this way Toyota can bring the Yaris to market at a lower price point than it could by building it in Japan.

Pricing for the manual version starts at $16,995, while the auto comes in at $18,200.

Stay tuned for more on the Yaris sedan on an upcoming episode of Motoring TV.