The S-Cross petrol and Toyota Urban Cruiser (rebadged Vitara Brezza) production will commence soon in Maruti’s Gurgaon plant before their market debuts
After nearly two months of closure, Maruti Suzuki India Limited (MSIL) has reopened its production facility in Gurugram, Haryana. Following the Standard Operating Procedure, the largest carmaker in the country has commenced operations as strict health measures pertaining to workers safety and sanitization at the highest level are being implemented.
The Gurgaon plant produces passenger cars such as Ignis, S-Cross, Vitara Brezza and the Super Carry LCV. The brand’s top-selling models like Alto, Baleno, Dzire, Ertiga, S-Presso and Swift are rolled out of the production lines from Manesar factory and it was opened recently on a single shift basis. Since the Gujarat plant comes under a containment zone, the company has sought permission from the government.
The Gurgaon and Manesar plants accounting for 15.5 lakh production capacity per annum. With the restart of operations, the production of the petrol version of S-Cross and the Toyota Urban Cruiser will more likely begin soon. In a regulatory filing, Maruti Suzuki board recently approved the supply of Vitara Brezza compact SUV to Toyota Kirloskar Motor.
The Urban Cruiser, debut in coming months, is nothing but the rebadged version of the Vitara Brezza, which received a facelift earlier this year. The five-seater will help in Toyota debuting in a hotly contested segment as it will compete against Hyundai Venue, Tata Nexon, Ford EcoSport, Mahindra XUV300 and Honda WR-V. In a similar fashion to the Glanza, the Urban Cruiser will only carry subtle visual changes compared to its donor.
The interior and the features list will largely remain identical as well. While the upright stance of the Vitara Brezza will remain on the Urban Cruiser, the front fascia is expected to undergo changes to the grille to house the Toyota badge. As for the performance, the 1.5-litre four-cylinder K15B SHVS petrol engine will be utilised and it develops close to 105 PS and 138 Nm.
The powertrain is paired with either a five-speed manual or a four-speed torque converter automatic transmission. The same engine will also feature in the S-Cross. Just as the Vitara Brezza, the crossover was only sold with a Fiat-sourced diesel engine which could not be updated to meet the BSVI emission standards. Thus, the 1.5-litre petrol engine will help in the resumption of S-Cross’ sales upon arrival in the coming weeks.