After launching rebadged Brezza and Glanza, Toyota has now plans to launch Ertiga and Ciaz in rebadge avatar
Toyota and Suzuki have signed a global partnership. Under this, Toyota India gets to launch rebadged Maruti cars. This has resulted in products like Toyota Glanza and Toyota Urban Cruiser, which are basically rebadged versions of Maruti Baleno and Maruti Vitara Brezza.
Toyota not only sells these rebadged Maruti cars in domestic market, but also exports them to select countries. Next product to be launched under this partnership is rebadged Ciaz.
Toyota Ciaz
Just like the other two, Ciaz rebadge too will have a new name. It is not confirmed what this new car could be named. One can expect Toyota to tease the name in coming days.
Launch is expected to take place in the coming weeks. Ahead of that, the grille of this rebadged sedan has been spied, credit to ynike99. Apart from the grille, the entire car is expected to be similar to Ciaz. It might get different alloys.
What happens to Toyota Yaris
With Yaris and Ciaz basically competing in the same segment, it is highly likely that Yaris will be discontinued in the coming days, ahead of Toyota Ciaz launch. Powering the Toyota Ciaz will be the same 1.5 liter petrol unit, which is also on offer with the Ciaz, Brezza, Ertiga.
This unit delivers 104 PS power and 138 Nm of torque. It is offered with 5 speed manual or 4 speed AT gearbox. Expect the price of Toyota Ciaz to be on a slightly higher side, as is the case with other two Toyota cars which are rebadged Maruti units.
What Next Under Toyota – Maruti Partnership
After Ciaz, Toyota is planning to launch Ertiga rebadged version. That is expected to happen next year. Apart from rebadged cars, the duo are also planning on launching an all new SUV, which will take on the likes of Hyundai Creta and Kia Seltos.
This will be the first instance where the two auto companies will join hands to develop a completely new product. As mentioned before, the SUV will be manufactured at Toyota Kirloskar Motor’s (TKM) factory in Bidadi in Plant 2 from 2022 and will be given to Maruti to manage.
It is the same plant where production of Toyota Yaris and Camry Hybrid takes place. Currently, both manufacturers have no offerings in the mid-size SUV segment in India which is fast growing. As of now, the Korean cousins Creta and Seltos control almost 50 percent of the market share in this space.
Upcoming SUV expected specs
Coming to the product, the SUV is likely to be underpinned by Toyota’s DNGA (Daihatsu New Global Architecture) modular platform which also underpins Raize. This platform has been specifically designed for emerging markets like India and the SUV is likely to measure around 4.3 metres.
Even though both models will share the same underpinnings, they both will have individual characteristics as far as design is concerned. Toyota and Maruti Suzuki would like their respective products to get their family DNA in terms of design.
Powertrain is likely to be supplied by Suzuki which means there are fewer chances for a diesel engine. In all likelihood, the new SUV will be powered by a 1.5-litre K-Series petrol engine. There are chances that it will also be offered with a punchier turbo petrol engine as well. Both manual and automatic transmissions will likely be offered.
Since these models will be jointly developed and produced, it will also help the manufacturers bring down the cost of SUV and therefore will help Toyota and Maruti Suzuki to compete against the Koreans. It will also help both manufacturers to fill a gap in their product portfolio.
