The Toyota Echo was launched in 1999 with the intention of getting younger buyers into Toyota dealerships and providing them with an inexpensive route to Toyota's famous reliability, while the Toyota Celica and Toyota MR2 would give customers exciting performance and sporty handling. The Toyota Echo was a simple, well-designed vehicle powered by a 1.5-litre 4-cylinder engine available with a 5-speed manual or 4-speed automatic transmission. Air conditioning came as standard, while the windows and door locks were manual.
North American specials
Toyota launched an exclusive two-door coupe version of the Toyota Echo for the North American market, while Canada alone received the Echo hatchback, also known as the first-generation Toyota Yaris, which was named European Car of the Year when it debuted in 2004. The Toyota Echo sold nearly 50,000 units in its first year on sale in the US, and its engines and chassis would go on to be used by the first vehicles from Toyota's new brand, Scion, which was again aimed at younger buyers. By the mid-2000s Toyota Echo sales were lagging, and the model was discontinued in 2005 to be replaced by the Yaris.
Toyota Echo rivals
The Toyota Echo competed against other inexpensive vehicles in the form of the Hyundai Accent, Chevrolet Aveo and Kia Rio to name but a few with the Korean cars going on to move up the economy car pecking order with the addition of better engines and more technology.
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