Toyota Will Be Handling Production Of Maruti-Toyota’s Upcoming Compact SUV

• Will be the first in its segment to come with a self-charging hybrid engine.

• To utilise Toyota’s platform unlike previous shared models that utilised Maruti’s architecture.

• Likely to be powered by Toyota’s latest 1.5-litre three cylinder petrol-hybrid engine for compact models.

• Toyota and Maruti badged SUVs to get proper styling differences as confirmed by spy images.

Recently, we were treated to a silent teaser for the all-new compact SUV spawned from the Toyota-Maruti Suzuki partnership. And now, we’ve received information that the upcoming Hyundai Creta rival will not only be produced for both carmakers at Toyota’s plant in Bengaluru but also be underpinned by its platform. This architecture will be a localised version of the TNGA global platform.  

This comes as a stark contrast to the current situation in the Toyota-Maruti Suzuki partnership, as models such as the Glanza and the Urban Cruiser were manufactured by Maruti and based on its current models such as the Baleno and Vitara Brezza.

As for the upcoming Toyota-Maruti Suzuki SUV, the big highlight is that it’ll be powered by a self-charging hybrid powertrain, as hinted by Toyota’s ‘Hum Hai Hybrid’ campaign for self-charging hybrid technology. This makes it the first in its segment to get such a powertrain in India. We expect it to be Toyota’s latest 1.5-litre three cylinder petrol-hybrid powertrain for compact models from the Yaris Cross sold overseas. Combined, the ICE engine and 80PS electric motor produce 115PS, with the former offering 120Nm torque and the latter 141Nm.  

We also know from spy images that the Toyota and Maruti SUVs will have proper identities of their own with clear styling differences.

Expect the Toyota-badged model to show up first in June, followed by a launch in August. Both the Toyota and Maruti-badged SUVs should come at competitive pricing compared to their rivals such as the Hyundai Creta and Kia Seltos, MG Astor, Volkswagen Taigun, and the Skoda Kushaq.