Toyota To Launch New Subcompact SUV This Festive Season; Will Be Based On Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza

Toyota India is all set to make its debut in the competitive subcompact SUV segment with a new product which will be based on the Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza. Likely to be called 'Toyota Urban Cruiser', the company plans to launch its compact SUV during the upcoming festive season. The company will be aiming to boost sales with the launch of a new 5-seater SUV in the Indian market. The Japanese carmaker was expected to launch the SUV in sometime in August, however, it has been delayed due to Coronavirus pandemic. We have already reached out to Toyota for an official statement about the upcoming subcompact SUV, however, as of now, Toyota is yet to get back to us.

Also Read: Post COVID Up To 60 Per Cent Of Glanza Customers Are First Time Toyota Buyers

The new Toyota sub-compact SUV will be based on the Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza. (Image used here for representational purpose only)

Toyota Motor Corp and Suzuki Motor Corp (SMC) signed an agreement in 2018 for supplying hybrid and other vehicles to each other in the Indian market. Toyota had already sourced Baleno premium hatchback from Maruti Suzuki India, which is retailed as Glanza. The company has already sold over 25,000 Glanza units since its launch and the overall volumes have been increasing. It will be the second product that will be sourced from Maruti Suzuki.

Also Read: Toyota Glanza Review

Toyota's upcoming SUV is expected to borrow the mechanical parts from the Maruti Vitara Brezza. Maruti uses a 1.5-litre K-Series engine on the Vitara Brezza, which comes with Suzuki's mild-hybrid technology. The motor is capable of producing 104bhp and 138Nm of power figures and is mated to either a five-speed manual or a four-speed torque-converter automatic transmission.

Toyota will launch its subcompact SUV during the festive season

Naveen Soni, Senior Vice President Sales and Marketing, Toyota, told PTI, "The automaker is now ready to bring in the second product under this arrangement during the early part of the upcoming festive season. "India loves the sub-four meter compact SUV category. And this segment alone is now 10-11 per cent of the total passenger vehicle sales. So we have been evaluating this segment for a long time and now the time has come that we are announcing that this festive season we will have our own compact SUV in the market."

Also Read: 25,000 Units of Toyota Glanza Sold In India Since Launch

When launched, the SUV will take on Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza, Hyundai Venue, Tata Nexon, Ford EcoSport and the Mahindra XUV300. Interestingly, Kia Sonet and Nissan Magnite will also be aiming to dominate the segment after their launches.

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