The name “Yaris” is derived from “Charis”, the singular form of Charites, the Greek goddesses of charm and beauty. Toyota swapped the ‘Ch’ with ‘Ya’ – German for ‘yes’ to symbolise the perceived reaction of European markets to the car’s styling.

For the fourth generation model, the name “Yaris” will be used worldwide, including Japan (replaces the “Vitz” name).