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Toyota’s popular Echo small car has passed two and a half million sales
worldwide in five years.
Australian sales of Echo will pass 65,000 by the end of the year.
Echo was launched in 1999 and is sold worldwide with four model names –
including Yaris in Europe, Vitz for hatchback in Japan and Platz for sedan in
Japan, and Echo in North America, Asia and Australia.
Toyota had produced 2,297,864 Echo models by the end of 2003, with annual
production running at more than 400,000.
It is the third-highest volume production Toyota model, behind Corolla and
Camry.
Toyota began European production of Echo (Yaris) at an all-new plant in
France in 2001 Annual production at the French plant now accounts for 84 per
cent of total Echo production.
Toyota Australia offers seven Echo model variants, with the choice of three
body styles, two engines, two transmissions and two equipment grades.
The body choices are three-door hatchback, five-door hatchback and four-door
sedan.
Four door sedan models and Echo Sportivo three-door hatchback models share a
1.5-litre VVT-i equipped Twin Cam Multi-valve engine.
All other hatchback models have a 1.3-litre VVT-i engine.
The latest Australian-specification Echo includes the availability of a
Safety Option Pack, available for all model variants.
It consists of a front passenger SRS airbag (in addition to the standard
Driver SRS airbag) and ABS anti-skid brakes.
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