Toyota has christened the Etios hatchback the Etios Liva. The name will be officially announced on December 1st in Bangalore when both the saloon and hatchback version of the Etios will be launched. In the same way the Dzire is an extension of the Swift name, the Liva will be a sub-brand of the Etios badge.

The Etios Liva will be powered by a 1.2 litre engine developing around 80bhp. The bantam weight 890kg hatchback promises strong performance without compromising fuel efficiency. Interior space is similar to the Etios saloon and hence the Liva promises to be the most spacious hatchback in its class.

Toyota plans to introduce a 1.4 diesel engine at a later stage for both the Etios saloon and Liva. This diesel will be similar to the one in the Corolla diesel but is unlikely to get the same variable geometry turbo (VGT). Instead a fixed geometry turbo developing around 70bhp is likely to be used as this will offer better fuel consumption and cost less than the VGT.

There is also talk of introducing the saloon’s 1.5-litre 88.7bhp engine in the Liva at a later stage to spice up the Liva’s rather tame personality.