A few days ago, we divulged in an exclusive report that the production of the Toyota Belta has started at Maruti Suzuki’s manufacturing facility in Manesar, Haryana and we showed you the picture of the front fascia wearing red body colour. According to our sources, the production is initially for export markets only.
The Toyota Belta could be introduced in more than twenty African countries as markets like South Africa will likely get it first. It is expected to subsequently launch in India at a later date. The Belta is the badge-engineered version of the Maruti Suzuki Ciaz and already the rebadged Toyota Glanza and Toyota Urban Cruiser are on sale.
Both the premium hatchback and the compact SUV contribute significantly to the brand’s volumes each month alongside the Innova Crysta and Fortuner. Thus, bringing in a new rebadged model only makes sense as customers seem to be accepting them. The Belta will have minor exterior changes such as the badge swap to be sold as a Toyota.
We do not expect any big cosmetic and interior changes to be part of the package and the Toyota Belta could get newly designed alloy wheels and additional variant badges. It will lock horns with midsize sedans such as Honda City, Hyundai Verna, Skoda Rapid and Volkswagen Vento. Toyota’s Yaris did not perform well in the segment though.
Under the bonnet, the existing 1.5-litre four-cylinder K15B mild-hybrid petrol engine in the Ciaz will continue to deliver 104.7 PS maximum power at 6,000 rpm and 138 Nm of peak torque delivered at 4,400 rpm. It is connected to a five-speed manual transmission as standard while a four-speed torque converter automatic unit is an option in the Ciaz.
As for the features, it will have a touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, semi-digital instrumentation, a multi-functional steering wheel with mounted controls, dual airbags, ABS with EBD, engine immobiliser, high-speed warning alert, and so on as in the Ciaz.
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