Toyota is not often a brand that emerges when someone says “weird.” The funkiest car sold by Toyota right now is probably the Crown, and even that is pretty mild as far as weird goes. But if you go back far enough, especially when you look at small cars sold in Japan, you can find Toyotas so weird you’ll be surprised they’re made by the same company that built your Corolla. Meet the Toyota WiLL Vi, a car that looks like it melted in the microwave. But here’s a twist; you can buy this car in America right here and right now.
This car is up for grabs for the next two days on Bring a Trailer. The laser-focused observers among you will note that this car is a 2000 model-year vehicle and it’s in Canada, but I have great news. This Toyota WiLL Vi was made in April 2000, which means it’ll be legal to head south of the border in less than a month.
Should you choose this weirdo as your next ride, you’ll get something very few others in America have. Most of the folks who import Japanese cars will choose a Kei car, a Nissan Skyline, a Toyota Century, or some sort of JDM legend. There don’t appear to be many people going after something like a forgotten Toyota that looks like a burrito from Taco Bell. Perhaps even sweeter is the fact that this car is still small, but it’s in a class larger than a Kei car, so you can actually take it on the highway.
Designed To Attract The ‘Yutes’
Your biggest question, which perhaps is the same question I have, is how on Earth does Toyota of all brands end up making something like this? Since there isn’t even a single Toyota badge here I wouldn’t fault you for thinking that this was one of those fabled Nissan Pike Factory cars like Jason’s Nissan Pao.
According to Toyota, this car was birthed from a 1999 multi-industry plan to attract a more youthful clientele to a variety of businesses. Toyota says the project originated from within its walls as the Virtual Venture Company. Its plan involved joining forces with Asahi Breweries, Kao, Kinki Nippon Tourist, Matsushita Electric Industrial (now Panasonic), Kokuyo, and Ezaki Glico in a venture named WiLL.
According to Toyota, WiLL meant:
“WiLL” stands for people who are determined and forward-looking. The “V” in Vi stands for vehicle, and the “i” stands for “identity,” “independence,” and “individuality,” as well as being the personal pronoun “I” — concepts we knew would appeal to the target customers (single women in their late 20s). The lower-case “i” was chosen to emphasize the unique “identity” of this vehicle.
Toyota was the only car manufacturer in the WiLL project, and here’s what it said about its involvement:
Each participant to the WiLL project introduced original products targeted at customers in their 20s and 30s, featuring the WiLL brand name and the orange-colored logo. The common product concept was “playfulness and authenticity.” Accordingly, Toyota launched the compact 4-door sedan WiLL Vi in January 2000. The unique body mounted on the platform of the first-generation Vitz, with its arched beltline and the backward-slanting rear windshield, gave a silhouette reminiscent of Cinderella’s carriage. The WiLL brand name represented the developers’ will to pioneer new markets and new consumer lifestyle.
As Toyota noted above, the WiLL Vi (pronounced ‘vee-eye’) was more or less a dramatic rebody of the first-generation Vitz subcompact. We never got the first-generation Vitz hatch in America, but we did its coupe sibling the Echo. For the WiLL Vi, Toyota gave the little car a neo-retro aesthetic. If you squint hard enough, you might see Citroën Ami 6 somewhere in there. Otherwise, Toyota made this thing look trendy like a handbag. Actually, let’s just directly quote the press release:
Several converging planes create expressive angles for a sharp look. Parallel grooves embossed in the body panels make for a distinctive style that combines with a cliff-cut silhouette reminiscent of the horse-drawn carriages of yesteryear.
The front view effectively positions the grille, head lamps, turn signals and smooth hood for a friendly expression.
The shape of the rear is similar to that of the front, creating the same atmosphere of friendliness.The sides are symmetrical, with arched lines defining the front and rear fenders. With large blister fenders and 15-inch tires located at the four corners, the design creates a strong feeling of stability.
This theming continues inside, where you do get a modern dash, but classic colors and vintage touches like door pull straps. It’s all extremely cute, and when it launched in January 2000 it came right on time for the neo-retro craze. Toyota’s press release even claims that the WiLL Vi had an optional canvas top to even further emulate vintage French cars.
Power came from a 1.3-liter 2NZ-FE four, good for 87 horsepower and 90 lb-ft of torque. That delivers power to the front wheels through an automatic transmission. So it’s not particularly quick, but unlike my Suzuki Every van it should feel pretty okay on a highway.
Part of the reason that you might not find many of these is because there just weren’t many sold. Toyota expected to sell 1,500 units a month. Production ended in December 2001 after only 16,000 examples were built. Technically, Toyota more or less hit its sales target, but it’s noted that Toyota built 697,000 Vitz cars over the same period.
Toyota UK Magazine figures that the WiLL Vi is even rarer today, then points out that only 21 imported WiLL Vis were registered in the UK as of 2021.
This 2000 Toyota WiLL Vi
That leaves us with the car on your screen today. According to the Bring a Trailer listing, this 2000 Toyota WiLL Vi was imported into Canada in 2024 and acquired by the seller that year. Aside from aftermarket wheels, the car appears to be stock and in pretty good condition.
If you flip through the photos, you’ll see pretty minty bench seats and a clean underbody. A lot of vintage Japanese cars come out of the country peppered in rust and this one isn’t that!
The listing notes features like a CD player, ABS, a cassette deck, power windows, and air-conditioning. In case it wasn’t clear, you’re also looking at cloth seating. In other words, aside from the weird looks, this is just a standard Vitz. That’s great! Sadly, the engine doesn’t appear to have a sibling in a U.S. Toyota model, but the 2NZ-FE was placed into countless cars all over the world, so getting parts shouldn’t be impossible.
The biggest question, I think, will be pricing. As of now, the listing is at $4,950 with two days to go. A decent low-mile Toyota WiLL Vi will cost you about $1,600 in a Japanese auction. Then factor in another $2,000 for shipping at current rates. Then you have other miscellaneous costs like entry fees and port fees. That’s only half of the problem. Since the WiLL Vi didn’t even start production until January 2020, only a fraction of the tiny production is legal to import into the United States. None of the ones I found in auctions recently are even close to being legal yet.
Honestly, so long as this auction doesn’t go out of control, it’ll probably be a pretty decent deal. You’ll be able to buy the car, bring it south of the Canadian border in under a month, and have one of the only Toyota WiLL Vis in America. If you’re looking for a weird Japanese car to import and don’t want to wait months or go through the Japanese auction system, this might just be the ticket.
I’d caveat the “good condition” with the fact that several panels appear to be slightly different colours. Possibly a victim of life spent out in the open and a poorly-matched partial respray.
I saw several of these (and it’s slightly more conservative WiLL siblings) in NZ about seven or eight years ago and was fascinated by them – especially when I found they were by Toyota.
My favourite retro-cute JDM car is the Suzuki Alto Lapin, especially the current generation one. Tossed up importing one last year but decided its 660cc NA engine would struggle in our hilly neighbourhood.