The Toyota Vitz is a line of three- and five-door hatchback subcompact cars produced since 1998 by the Japanese automobile manufacturer Toyota. Now in its third generation, the name "Toyota Vitz" has been used consistently in Japan, with most international markets receiving the same vehicle under the Toyota Yaris name, or formerly as the Toyota Echo in some markets for the first generation. As of 2010, the first two generations had achieved in excess of 3.5 million sales in over 70 countries, including more than 1.4 million in Japan. The first generation XP10 series Toyota Vitz,... designed by Sotiris Kovos at Toyota's ED2 studio in Europe. Production began in late 1998, with a Japanese on-sale date of January 1999; European sales commenced two months later as the "Toyota Yaris". When introduced to Australasia in October 1999, the "Toyota Echo" name was used, as was the case in Canada when released there in 2003. The "Echo" and "Yaris" names were also given to the export version of the related Japanese market Toyota Platz sedan, also available as a coupe in North America.
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