The Toyota Voltz was a five-door hatchback sold in Japan from July 2002 to March 2004. It was manufactured by NUMMI in California alongside the Pontiac Vibe and exported to Japan in place of the Toyota Matrix, and it was exclusive to Toyota Netz Store.
Toyota Voltz at a glance
| Maker | Toyota, built by NUMMI |
|---|---|
| Production | July 2002 – March 2004 |
| Market | Japan |
| Based on | Pontiac Vibe and Toyota Matrix |
| Class | Compact hatchback or crossover |
| Engines | 1.8-litre four, including a 164 hp VVTL-i version |
| Gearbox | Four-speed automatic or six-speed manual |
| Sold through | Toyota Netz Store |
| Production ended | NUMMI closed in 2010 |
| Sold | Just over 10,000 cars |
The Voltz is a rebadged Pontiac Vibe and is described in the English Wikipedia article on the Vibe; photographs of the Pontiac version are used because the two cars differ only in badging and mirrors.
History of the Toyota Voltz
The NUMMI connection
The Voltz was part of the General Motors and Toyota joint venture at NUMMI in Fremont, California, where the Pontiac Vibe, Toyota Matrix, Corolla and Tacoma were built. The Vibe was the fourth and last GM-branded vehicle to come from NUMMI, sharing the GM S platform, which is Toyota’s MC platform, with the Matrix and deriving from the Corolla. From 2002 to 2004 the Vibe was marketed in Japan in right-hand drive under the Toyota Voltz nameplate. Vibe production ended in August 2009 when Pontiac was discontinued and GM went through Chapter 11, which led to the closure of the NUMMI venture; Toyota moved Matrix production to Cambridge, Ontario, until that car was discontinued too.
The car
Apart from badging and side mirrors the Voltz shared its exterior with the Vibe, including Pontiac’s twin front grilles. Where the Vibe wore the Pontiac arrowhead, the Voltz had a stylised V between the grilles, and it used folding side mirrors rather than fixed ones because of Japanese regulations. It was right-hand drive and, unlike the Vibe, used the Matrix’s interior design. The Vibe and Matrix came with a 1.8-litre four of 126 hp on the base model with manual or automatic, 118 hp on the all-wheel-drive version with automatic only, and a 164 hp VVTL-i engine for the GT with a six-speed manual. The Vibe was at one time the most fuel-efficient vehicle GM sold in North America.
The end
With just over 10,000 units sold, Toyota ended Voltz sales in March 2004; the Toyota Auris became its closest functional successor in Japan. The car remains an unusual footnote: a Pontiac with Toyota badges, built in America and sold in Japan, in a period when the three companies’ products overlapped more than at any time before or since.
Design and features
- Pontiac in Japan: a right-hand-drive Vibe with Toyota badges and a V insignia.
- NUMMI build: assembled in California by the GM-Toyota joint venture.
- Matrix interior: the Voltz used the Matrix’s cabin rather than the Vibe’s.
- Rare: just over 10,000 sold in under two years.
Toyota Voltz versions
- Base (2002): 1.8-litre four with manual or automatic.
- All-wheel drive: 118 hp with an automatic gearbox.
- GT: 164 hp VVTL-i engine with a six-speed manual.
The Voltz was the Japanese version of the Matrix’s Pontiac twin, and its closest successor was the Auris. Its GM joint-venture relatives are covered in the Cavalier entry, and more cars are in the Toyota collection.
Sources
- Pontiac Vibe, English Wikipedia: NUMMI, engines, Toyota Voltz
