Production began in late 1998,[11] with a Japanese on-sale date of January 1999; European sales commenced two months later as the "Toyota Yaris".

[13] The "Echo" and "Yaris" names were also given to the export version of the related Japanese market Toyota Platz sedan,[9] also available as a coupé in North America.

[14] Often sold alongside the hatchback and marketed as a single line of vehicles, exterior panels common between the Vitz and Platz were restricted to the front doors.

Styled in Brussels by Toyota's European Office of Creation (EPOC), the "Fun project" as it was known, was envisaged to underline the versatility of shared platform engineering.

When sales commenced in the Canadian market this was not the case, with Toyota opting to fit a conventional speedometer, still mounted in the center of the dashboard.

Euro NCAP crash tested the dual-airbag equipped XP10 series in 2000, rating the car 29 out of 37 for adult occupant protection, or four out of five stars.

[18] Interior upgrades include, sports-oriented front seats, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, a leather and chrome gear shifter, and metallic door sill scuff plates.

[20][21] Sourced from Japan, Australian-market Echo hatchbacks received the 1.3-litre 2NZ-FE engine with a standard five-speed manual transmission and optional four-speed automatic.

[12] Compared to the models equivalent to the Echo "Sportivo" in other markets (the Vitz "RS" in Japan, and Yaris "T-Sport" in Europe), the Australian variant is distinguishable with its locally developed T-CAM (Toyota Conversions, Accessories and Motorsport) body kit and downgraded 14-inch alloy wheels.

At the same time, the price dropped and standard equipment was increased, with air conditioning, a CD player, and remote keyless entry included, although the safety pack was deleted as an option all together.

ANCAP had previously based its four-star rating on the test conducted by Euro NCAP, which was performed with the passenger airbag fitted.

[26] The Vitz, marketed as the "Yaris" in Europe, was initially available with gasoline-powered inline-four engines in displacements of 1.0 and 1.3-litres, both featuring Toyota's VVT-i technology.

In 2001, the range was expanded via the addition of the hot hatch "T Sport" (equivalent to the Vitz "RS" in Japan), fitted with the 1.5-litre engine.

[38] In China, the Yaris received a second facelift in 2011, which has an extended front body which brings the car to measure 3,915 mm (154.1 in) in length and a new chrome grille.

Essentially, it is a Japanese market Vitz RS fitted with a 1.8-litre 2ZR-FE engine rated 130 hp (97 kW) and 173 N⋅m (128 lb⋅ft), which can reach 100 km/h (62 mph) in under 10 seconds.

In September 2008, Toyota Modellista International launched three special editions of the Vitz RS with a number of cosmetic and TRD performance parts for the Japanese market.

Limited edition TRD Sportivo model were added, based from J trim with body kit and lowered springs, only 10 units were made.

The second TRD Sportivo model based from S Limited trim with extreme body kit and lowered springs was offered in small numbers in 2010.

In other uses, Toyota Team Indonesia built a slightly modified Yaris based on the TRD Sportivo model and is used for races in the Indonesian Touring Car Championship.

The 2008 model year US Yaris comes standard with the 1.5-litre VVT-i engine producing 106 hp (79 kW) and 103 lb⋅ft (140 N⋅m) and five-speed manual transmission C54, the four-speed automatic U340E being optional.

3-door CE and 5-door LE versions come with 14-inch wheels, while RS models are equipped with 15-inch alloys with standard anti-lock braking system (ABS) and electronic brakeforce distribution (EBD).

In January 2009, Toyota recalled 1.28 million vehicles worldwide based on the Yaris platform, such as the Vitz, Belta and the Ractis.

The 7-speed refers to the possibility to select a predefined gear ratio among 7 available, emulating a 7-speed sequential gearbox, with steering wheel levers.

On 10 October 2012, Toyota recalled 7.4 million vehicles worldwide, including certain Vitz, Yaris and Corolla models, due to malfunctioning power windows.

[70] The second facelift version of the Yaris has been available in Europe and Australia since March 2017 and in South Africa and North America since June 2017.

In Japan, a sharp drop in sales from a height of 160,000 a year to 87,000 prompted Toyota to rebrand the Vitz as Yaris in order to expand its middle-aged customer base.

[2] The third generation Yaris/Vitz entered production in Toyota Motor Manufacturing France plant in June 2011 and was launched in September of the same year.

Models sold are the basic YR, the mid-range YRS, YRX and the sportier ZR which features a sporty bumper with body kit.

In January 2017, there was another facelift and tech change, this bought a slightly different headlight/bumper/grill combination and Toyota Safety sense (auto high beam, lane departure alert and autonomous braking) became an option on Ascent and SX and standard on ZR.

[90] The 2012 model year three- and five-door hatchbacks were available in the base L (CE in Canada), mid-range LE and sport-tuned SE trim levels.