diff --git a/poky/meta/classes/image.bbclass b/poky/meta/classes/image.bbclass
index 730c843..045f449 100644
--- a/poky/meta/classes/image.bbclass
+++ b/poky/meta/classes/image.bbclass
@@ -121,7 +121,7 @@
 def rootfs_variables(d):
     from oe.rootfs import variable_depends
     variables = ['IMAGE_DEVICE_TABLE','IMAGE_DEVICE_TABLES','BUILD_IMAGES_FROM_FEEDS','IMAGE_TYPES_MASKED','IMAGE_ROOTFS_ALIGNMENT','IMAGE_OVERHEAD_FACTOR','IMAGE_ROOTFS_SIZE','IMAGE_ROOTFS_EXTRA_SPACE',
-                 'IMAGE_ROOTFS_MAXSIZE','IMAGE_NAME','IMAGE_LINK_NAME','IMAGE_MANIFEST','DEPLOY_DIR_IMAGE','IMAGE_FSTYPES','IMAGE_INSTALL_COMPLEMENTARY','IMAGE_LINGUAS', 'IMAGE_LINGUAS_COMPLEMENTARY',
+                 'IMAGE_ROOTFS_MAXSIZE','IMAGE_NAME','IMAGE_LINK_NAME','IMAGE_MANIFEST','DEPLOY_DIR_IMAGE','IMAGE_FSTYPES','IMAGE_INSTALL_COMPLEMENTARY','IMAGE_LINGUAS', 'IMAGE_LINGUAS_COMPLEMENTARY', 'IMAGE_LOCALES_ARCHIVE',
                  'MULTILIBRE_ALLOW_REP','MULTILIB_TEMP_ROOTFS','MULTILIB_VARIANTS','MULTILIBS','ALL_MULTILIB_PACKAGE_ARCHS','MULTILIB_GLOBAL_VARIANTS','BAD_RECOMMENDATIONS','NO_RECOMMENDATIONS',
                  'PACKAGE_ARCHS','PACKAGE_CLASSES','TARGET_VENDOR','TARGET_ARCH','TARGET_OS','OVERRIDES','BBEXTENDVARIANT','FEED_DEPLOYDIR_BASE_URI','INTERCEPT_DIR','USE_DEVFS',
                  'CONVERSIONTYPES', 'IMAGE_GEN_DEBUGFS', 'ROOTFS_RO_UNNEEDED', 'IMGDEPLOYDIR', 'PACKAGE_EXCLUDE_COMPLEMENTARY', 'REPRODUCIBLE_TIMESTAMP_ROOTFS', 'IMAGE_INSTALL_DEBUGFS']
@@ -173,6 +173,9 @@
 
 LINGUAS_INSTALL ?= "${@" ".join(map(lambda s: "locale-base-%s" % s, d.getVar('IMAGE_LINGUAS').split()))}"
 
+# per default create a locale archive
+IMAGE_LOCALES_ARCHIVE ?= '1'
+
 # Prefer image, but use the fallback files for lookups if the image ones
 # aren't yet available.
 PSEUDO_PASSWD = "${IMAGE_ROOTFS}:${STAGING_DIR_NATIVE}"