No - not even close...
The Chevy Aveo is the old Daweoo supermini.
Toyota have partnered with the PSV group for the Aygo - which shares floorpan, engine, gearbox etc with the 107...
but the Yaris/Echo is all Toyota.
The Yaris is the European name for the Vitz, i believe it is called the Echo in the US.
Production of the current model has stopped - but a new one has been announced, and should be released at the end of this year...
yeah, as Leigh says, with a hybrid, you need to have a feather touch on the throttle, and give it some time...
although - freeway miles will always suffer, as the petrol engine will be in constant use..