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The Toyota Matrix is a car manufactured by Toyota in Canada and sold there and in the United States.
The Matrix is the Toyota version of a joint venture between Toyota and General Motors; the GM version is the Pontiac Vibe. A third version was sold in Japan from 2002 to early 2004: the Toyota Voltz. Although the Voltz was sold under the Toyota brand there, the styling was nearly identical to the Vibe. It has since been discontinued.
Both the Matrix and the Vibe are identical mechanically and practically identical internally, but they are clothed in different sheet metal to look somewhat different. Both vehicles are small but tall station wagons styled in a trendy, quasi-SUV fashion and marketed to a fairly youthful market segment. They were introduced in the 2003 model year and based on the Toyota Corolla platform.
Two 1.8 litre engines are offered in the Matrix: the 1ZZ-GE, borrowed from the Corolla, which produces 130 hp, and the 2ZZ-GE borrowed from the Toyota Celica GT-S, which produces 180 hp. The 2ZZ-GE utilizes a dual camshaft profile system, similar to Honda's VTEC, known as 'lift' to produce the added power without an increase in displacement or forced induction compared to the lesser engine.
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