Confirmed! UMWT's 'Defy' teaser refers to the AC100 gen 2023 Toyota Vios - 24 Feb launch

Two days after UMW Toyota Motor released a cryptic ‘Defy’ teaser on its official Facebook page, we can now say for sure that the upcoming model that will be launched on Friday 24-February refers to the all-new AC100 generation 2023 Toyota Vios.

Curiously, this set of image didn’t come from Toyota’s official channels, but was posted on local entertainment personality Sean Lee’s Instagram's now-deleted post.

The photos appear to be part of a commercial shoot.

The Malaysian specifications Toyota Vios is shown to wear larger (and more expensive) 17-inch alloy wheels that’s not available on Thailand’s Yaris Ativ, as the Vios is known there.

It’s the same wheels fitted on the Indonesian market Vios.

Like its archival the Honda City, the ‘hero’ colour for this 2023 Toyota Vios is red, specifically Spicy Scarlet Red. At least that’s what it looks like on our screens. Spicy Scarlet Red has a noticeably deeper shade than the outgoing model’s Red Mica Metallic (also shared with the Toyota Corolla Cross).

Unlike Thailand’s 1.2-litre Yaris Ativ, our local market 2023 Toyota Vios will feature the 1.5-litre 2NR-VE engine carried over from the outgoing model, but if specifications in Indonesia is a reliable indicator, the engine will be paired to a new Dual-Mode CVT (D-CVT) transmission.

Not to be confused with the Toyota RAV4’s Direct Shift CVT, D-CVT is a Daihatsu-developed CVT-type automatic transmission that combines the benefits of a conventional CVT’s smooth shifting steel belt drive with a more engaging direct-drive feeling of a planetary gearset.

At higher speeds, a clutch engages and motion is transferred to the planetary gearset, bypassing the belt drive. This minimizes the ‘rubber-band effect’ that make keen drivers want to avoid CVTs.

Also read: 2022 Perodua Myvi facelift's D-CVT - How much better is it than the 4AT?

The 2023 Toyota Vios will be launched in Malaysia on 24-February 2023. More will be revealed in the next two days. As before, the new generation Vios will be assembled at Toyota’s Bukit Raja plant.

The outgoing generation NSP 151 Toyota Vios used to sell for:

• 1.5J: RM 77,600
• 1.5E: RM 85,600
• 1.5G: RM 90,400
• 1.5 GR-S: RM 98,100

The B-segment 2023 Toyota Vios will go up against the Honda City, which sells for between RM 77,600 to RM 108,800, and the often-forgotten Nissan Almera, which sells for between RM 83,888 to RM 95,888.

It’s an open secret that Toyota is developing a series-hybrid version of the 2023 Toyota Vios to rival the series-parallel hybrid Honda City e:HEV RS, but this variant is at least one year away from market launch.

Also read: No longer a Honda City's monopoly - Toyota Vios Hybrid to debut by end-2023 with lower prices