The Toyota Paseo (known as the Cynos in Japan and other regions) was a sporty economy car released in 1991 and was loosely based on the Toyota Tercel. It was available as a coupe and in later models as a convertible. Toyota stopped selling the car in the United States in 1997, however the car continued to be sold in Canada, Europe and Japan until 1999, before being replaced by the Echo in 2000. The Paseo, like the Tercel, shares a similar platform to the Toyota Starlet. Several parts are interchangeable between the three.

The first generation of the Paseo was made from 1991 to 1995. Based on the Tercel, the Paseo featured a 1.5 L E series 5E-FE I4 engine. In most places, the Paseo's engine was rated at 100 hp (74 kW @ 6400 rpm) and 91 ft·lbf (124 Nm @ 3200 rpm) of torque. In California and other states with California level emissions standards, it was rated at 93 hp (69 kW) and 100 lbf·ft (136 Nm) of torque. It was offered with either a 5-speed manual transmission or a 4-speed automatic.