Toyota is planning to launch the Baleno based premium hatchback in March 2019, likely to carry same 1.2L Petrol engine from Baleno
Toyota and Suzuki announced their new partnership last year to share models between each other in which the popular Baleno and Vitara Brezza will be supplied to Toyota and they will share the Corolla Altis. This new partnership is expected to help both companies to improve sales and enter new segments, which they are currently not present.
According to a new report on Car India, Toyota is planning to launch the Baleno based premium hatchback in India by March and it will be the first product to be launched under the new partnership. Maruti Suzuki is expected to introduce the facelift model of Baleno next month in India and it will get some minor changes compared to the earlier model.
The largest car manufacturer in the country will supply around 20,000 to 25,000 units of Baleno for Toyota. The launch of Vitara Brezza based compact SUV is expected to take place by the end of this year or early next year. Toyota’s version of Baleno will come with exterior changes to make it look different from Maruti’s version.
The interior is expected to be carried over from Baleno and it will come with features like climate control, touch screen infotainment system, reverse camera with parking sensors, electronically controlled exterior mirrors. The engine lineup includes same 1.2 L K-Series petrol engine and 1.3 L diesel engine. Whether Toyota will introduce the 1.0 L Boosterjet engine is not known yet.
The report also indicates that Suzuki is working on a new ultra high-efficiency powertrain in which technological support will be given by Toyota and Denso corporation. Both manufacturers are also planning to sell these cross-badged models in other international markets but the production will continue in India.
We can also expect the current level of localization to increase, which will help them to price these models more competitively. Toyota hasn’t given details about the pricing of Baleno based premium hatchback. Toyota and Suzuki also signed a MoU in November 2017 in which they are planning to launch battery electric vehicles in India by 2020.