Toyota and Maruti Suzuki India have partnered in the Indian market to share a few products, first will be a D-segment sedan with electric-hybrid tech
Maruti Suzuki India and Toyota Bharat have joined hands to share their products in the future. While Toyota will launch products like rebadged Baleno hatchback, the Maruti Suzuki brand would get to access the vehicles like Toyota Corolla Altis. Recently, we exclusively told you that the rebadged version of the Maruti Suzuki’s Toyota Corolla-based sedan would get a full-fledged hybrid system in the market when launched.
Here are more details on the same. Maruti Suzuki already offers a few mild-hybrid cars in the Indian market with the Ciaz, Ertiga and the S-Cross. However, the Maruti’s version of the Corolla would be the first vehicle to get a full hybrid system. It would be an electric plug-in hybrid.
Toyota recently revealed the all-new Toyota Corolla Altis in the international markets and it gets a plug-in hybrid version as well. Toyota is planning to introduce the vehicles in the global markets soon and the Indian market is likely to get the same. Toyota would supply the all-new Corolla Altis to Maruti for the rebadging purposes.
It gets powered by a 1.8-litre petrol engine, which also powers the current version of the Corolla. With the full-hybrid system, the price of the vehicle will skyrocket. It is expected that the Maruti will price the Corolla-based hybrid sedan below Rs. 25 lakhs in the price-sensitive market.
It would also mark Maruti’s return to the D-Segment of the Indian market. Maruti earlier sold the CBU model Kizashi in the Indian market that found a very few buyers due to the expensive price tag it came with. It should be noted that Maruti Suzuki would not develop the powertrain of the hybrid Corolla-based upcoming sedan.
However, according to the new partnership, Toyota Bharat would help Maruti to understand and develop electric and hybrid powertrains for future vehicles. The upcoming vehicle would take on the likes of Hyundai Elantra and Skoda Octavia in the Indian market. Even though the segment is niche, it sure would put Maruti Suzuki as an established player in the hybrid car market.
*The above pics are rendered based on New Toyota Corolla