Toyota ViRA heading for Tokyo Auto Salon as a very compact crossover concept

JANUARY 10, 2016 

Toyota ViRA Concept

The Toyota ViRA Concept – a cross between a RAV4 and Yaris – is heading for the Tokyo Auto Salon as a concept for a funky little urban crossover.

We all know that crossovers of all sizes are the current flavour of the month, so it’s no surprise when a new compact crossover concept turns up to try and take a piece of this still growing market. Step forward the Toyota ViRA.

The Toyota ViRA is a mashup of the Toyota Yaris (know as the Vitz in the JDM) and the RAV4 and, perhaps, previews a car from Toyota that can take the fight to the funky Nissan Juke.

There are few details available on the ViRA, but it’s certainly a small crossover, with a raised ride height and design we can’t quite pin down to anything else from Toyota. But perhaps that’s not surprising.

The ViRA hasn’t actually been conceived by Toyota, but by Toyota Industries Corporation, a Toyota subsidiary that builds both the Vitz and RAV4 for Toyota for the Japanese market. So we’re assuming this is something of an internal pitch for a new product line.

The ViRA concept is heading for a debut at next week’s Toyota Auto Salon, an event that’s dominated by modified cars, but usually has a smattering of official concepts.

The ViRA may not quite be an official Toyota concept, but we can’t believe Toyota Industries have created it without the blessing of the parent company.

If the reception for the Toyota ViRA is positive when its revealed, we could see it finding its place in the market at some point.