Toyota’s First Rebadged Product For India Called Glanza

• First badge-engineered Toyota from the carmaker’s joint venture with Suzuki.
• The Glanza will hit the showrooms by July 2019.
• Will be priced slightly higher than the Baleno.
• The Glanza will be available with a petrol motor only.
• Will be available in two variants with both MT and CVT options to choose from.

Toyota and Suzuki had signed a memorandum of understanding in February 06, 2017 where both carmakers will be sharing cars. The first car to roll out from this joint venture will be the rebadged Baleno called the Toyota Glanza. Expected to hit the market by July 2019, the Toyota Glanza will be officially unveiled by mid May.

Toyota's upcoming hatchback will be available in two variants. True to its nomenclature, we expect Toyota to offer a midspec G and a top end V variant. We also expect the Glanza to have all the equipment one will require like a touchscreen infotainment with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, climate control, auto headlamps and more. Given Toyota’s emphasis on safety and with the deadline for the upcoming safety norms nearing, we expect the Glanza to have safety features like dual airbags, ABS with EBD, rear parking sensors to be offered as standard.

On the engine front, the Glanza will be available with a single petrol motor only. The Baleno comes with two petrol engine options and it's unclear whether Toyota will pick the 1.2-litre K-Series petrol motor or the recently introduced 1.2-litre DualJet SHVS engine. We're tilting in favour of the latter, though. Regardless of the engine which makes it way to the Glanza, a manual gearbox and a CVT automatic will be on offer. A diesel-powered Glanza is unlikely.

As mentioned above, the Glanza will be the first badge-engineered product to roll out from the carmaker’s joint venture with Suzuki. Soon after the Glanza, the Ciaz and the Vitara Brezza will also get the same treatment. On the other hand, Toyota will be providing the Corolla Altis to Maruti Suzuki. The premium hatchback will take on the likes of the Maruti Suzuki Baleno, Hyundai Elite i20, Honda Jazz and the upcoming Tata Altroz.

Toyota's Glanza will be priced at a premium compared to the car it's based on. Since only two well-equipped variants will be offer, we're expecting prices to range between Rs 7.27 lakh to Rs 9.20 lakh ex-showroom. Should Toyota choose the mild-hybrid equipped engine, expect prices to go further north by Rs 1 lakh.