The Voltz was developed jointly by Toyota and General Motors as an SUV-like station wagon for active-minded young customers. Specifically, the two companies cooperated in conceptualization and styling, while Toyota undertook design and development, and production took place at NUMMI, a joint venture between Toyota and GM based in California. The Voltz was marketed in North America as the Pontiac Vibe. In Japan, the Voltz was released through the Netz channel as the successor to the Sprinter Carib.

Using one of the Corolla platforms as a base, the Voltz featured four doors and a tailgate with a glass hatch. The luggage room was equipped with floor rails and hooks, and the deck floor and the back of the rear seats were lined with plastic resins so that dirt could be easily removed after storing wet luggage. The engine was an inline 4-cylinder with a 1,800 cc displacement, and the drivetrain layouts included front-engine, front-wheel-drive and flex full-time 4-wheel-drive. While the Pontiac Vibe survived to its second generation, only the first-generation car was exported to Japan as the Voltz. Production of the Vibe was terminated in August 2010 with the discontinuation of the Pontiac brand.