Toyota France to build Yaris for North America

Starting in May 2013, all Yaris models sold in Canada, the United States and Puerto Rico will be built in Europe by Toyota Motor Manufacturing France (TMMF). The annual export volume is planned to be around 25,000 units.

''This is not only an endorsement of the quality of the cars built by our team members here at TMMF, but it’s also a significant new business opportunity for our factory and further strengthens TMMF’s position as an important exporter in France,'' said Makoto Sano, president of TMMF.

The current strength of the yen partly explains the shift from Japan to France, which will represent an additional investment of €8 million at TMMF. The reason for it is to build the car to the specific requirements of the North American market including a 1.5L gasoline engine, automatic transmission, and different rear bumper.

At Peace Arch Toyota we have already decided that when the 2013 Toyota Yaris start to arrive, we will be asking "do you want fries with that".

The Yaris Hybrid still won't cross the Atlantic, however.

 Source: Automotive News Europe