Wagon R EV Spied On Test With Suzuki Logo, Not A Toyota EV

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Wagon R EV spied recently carried Suzuki logo on the inside and it does not look to be an electrified Toyota model

The speculations surrounding Toyota developing an electric vehicle for India existed since 2019 and Toyota Kirloskar Motor’s Managing Director, Masakazu Yoshimura, told Economic Times in October 2020 that the battery electric vehicle plan for India “is still on” in alliance with its partner Suzuki Motor Corporation.

Earlier this year, a report emerged on Team-Bhp citing an anonymous source indicated that a Toyota small car codenamed 560B is said to be in the development as well. The report further noted that the small car could carry an electric powertrain with the launch timeline possibly being later this year or in early 2022.

Just a few weeks ago, test prototype of an electric Wagon R was caught on camera undisguised. The Wagon R EV mule first came up in a video posted by a Youtube channel, MRD Cars, and it clearly showed Toyota logo on the wheels and an exclusive news report surfaced on MotorBeam mentioned that the zero-emission vehicle in question could be dubbed the Hyryder.

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We showed you clear pictures of the Wagon R EV test mule but the interior has the Suzuki logo on the steering wheel. Maruti Suzuki India Limited (MSIL) has been conducting road tests of the JDM-spec Wagon R EV since 2018 as the brand’s first all-electric vehicle has long been expected.

The latest prototype spied appears to not be a Toyota EV (although we published a rendered photo of Wagon R EV with Toyota emblem, apologies for the same for creating confusion amongst our readers) however the Japanese manufacturer is involved in a partnership with MSIL for vehicle supply as the Glanza (rebadged Baleno) and Urban Cruiser (rebadged Vitara Brezza) are already on sale. In addition, more badge-engineered vehicles are reported to be in the pipeline.

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Toyota discontinued a host of models ahead of BSVI emission standards that came into effect in April 2020. The transition towards electric vehicles will be a gradual process in a price-sensitive market like India as range anxiety and lack of charging infrastructure proving to be the major issues alongside localising the EVs to carry a competitive price tag.