Toyota and Maruti Suzuki’s partnership is expected to produce a few new vehicles soon, including some rebadged models and some brand new ones
Maruti Suzuki and Toyota are jointly working on a few new vehicles for the Indian market, as an extension of the global partnership between Suzuki and Toyota. The two brands are not only developing completely new vehicles, but Toyota is also planning to re-badge a few Maruti cars and sell them under its own brand.
Here, we have listed the top five vehicles that will be born out of the partnership between Maruti Suzuki and Toyota, and are expected to launch in India soon.
1. Next-gen Maruti Vitara Brezza/Toyota Urban Cruiser
Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza is one of the most popular sub-4-metre SUVs in the Indian market. The vehicle is rebadged and sold by Toyota as well, under the name ‘Urban Cruiser’. The Vitara Brezza was first launched back in 2016, and it hasn’t received any major updates since.
Thankfully, the next-generation model is already in the works, and is expected to launch towards the end of this year as the new-generation Maruti Vitara Brezza. Toyota is expected to launch its version a few months after that, as the new-gen Urban Cruiser. The next-gen SUV is expected to be available with the same 1.5-litre petrol engine as the current model, and according to speculations, a 1.5-litre diesel engine option will also be added.
2. Toyota-badged Ertiga
Toyota will also be introducing a rebadged version of the Ertiga in India soon. The manufacturer has enjoyed decent success in our market with the rebadging strategy, thanks to the Glanza and Urban Cruiser, and Toyota will be expanding its range in India with more rebadged Maruti cars.
Toyota’s Ertiga-based MPV is expected to feature only minor changes to the exterior and interior design. As for the powertrain, it will get the same 1.5-litre petrol engine as the Ertiga, which belts out 105 PS and 138 Nm. Maruti is also planning to offer a BS6-compliant 1.5-litre diesel engine option on the Ertiga soon, which will make its way to the Toyota MPV as well.
3. Toyota Ciaz (Belta)
Toyota is planning to retire the Yaris sedan in India, and will be introducing the rebadged version of Maruti Ciaz in its place. Toyota has trademarked the name ‘Belta’ in the Indian market, which is likely to be used on this upcoming sedan. The vehicle is expected to launch in the second half of this year.
Similar to the Glanza and Urban Cruiser, we don’t expect any major changes on Toyota’s rebadged Ciaz. It will have the same exterior design, perhaps with a slightly restyled front fascia, and the interior will remain unaltered. The 1.5-litre petrol engine (105 PS/138 Nm) will also be carried over unchanged, and we expect Maruti’s upcoming 1.5-litre diesel engine to be offered here as well (which will also be available on the Ciaz soon).
4. Maruti-Toyota midsize MPV
Maruti Suzuki and Toyota are also developing a midsize MPV together, which will be sold by both the manufacturers in the Indian market. This upcoming vehicle will slot under the Innova Crysta in Toyota’s lineup and above the XL6 in Maruti’s range. Not a lot of details about this MPV are available yet, but rumours suggest that it will launch in 2022.
As per speculations, this new midsize MPV will be powered by the same 1.5L K-series petrol motor (105 PS/138 Nm) that does duty on the Ertiga and XL6. The forthcoming 1.5L DDiS diesel powerplant is also expected to be available on it, under both the Maruti and Toyota brands.
5. Maruti-Toyota midsize SUV
The S-Cross SUV is the flagship model in Maruti Suzuki’s range, but it isn’t as popular in the Indian market as the manufacturer would have hoped. As such, Maruti is planning to replace it with a new SUV very soon, which is being developed in partnership with Toyota. It is expected to launch in 2022, and as per reports, this upcoming SUV will have different styling for both brands.
As per speculations, this upcoming midsize SUV will be built on Toyota’s Daihatsu New Global Architecture (DNGA). It will likely be powered by Maruti’s K15B engine (1.5-litre petrol engine: 105 PS and 138 Nm), which also serves under the hood of the S-Cross, and a 1.5-litre diesel engine will likely be offered as well.