Most automakers decided to go through with their scheduled debuts for today, even though the Geneva Motor Show got canceled.
Toyota, however, had a sudden change of heart and postponed the unveiling of its new small SUV by “weeks or months”, according to a report from Autonews Europe citing a source close to the company.
The Japanese automaker was supposed to reveal the B-segment crossover at the Geneva show, but in the wake of the event’s cancelation, it decided not to stage a digital unveiling this week. Toyota’s move contrasts with most other automakers’ decisions to present their new cars via livestreams on Tuesday.
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In all fairness, Toyota had already reduced its Geneva activities after moving its traditional media event from the eve of the show to January. At the beginning of the year, the carmaker showed in Amsterdam the second-generation Mirai fuel-cell sedan, RAV4 plug-in hybrid SUV and the all-electric Lexus UX 300e SUV. The company had saved the small SUV for Geneva, but given the show’s cancellation, it sees no reason to rush with the unveiling – especially since the B-segment crossover will not go on sale until March 2021.
When it arrives in European dealerships, the as-of-yet unnamed crossover will offer a variant of the three-cylinder gasoline-electric full-hybrid setup used in the new Yaris subcompact. Toyota will offer the small SUV with four-wheel drive, something that’s very rare in the segment. Both the Yaris and the upcoming crossover share the same GA-B platform and will be built at Toyota’s factory in Valenciennes, France.
The carmaker expects these two models to make up about 30 percent of its sales volume in Europe by 2025.
