From Paris with love? Our Yaris will be built in France

North American Yaris models will be produced by Toyota Motor Manufacturing France (TMMF) starting next May. The company predicts that around 25,000 units will cross the Atlantic Ocean annually.

''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 makes importing the Yaris from Japan too expensive, which partly explains the move to France. TMMF will invest an additional €8 million 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.

The Yaris Hybrid still won't come to our shores, however.