Toyota Motor Corporation and Suzuki Motor Corporation had signed an agreement under which both the companies will co-develop hybrid and other vehicles in the Indian market. Suzuki will provide Baleno hatchback and Vitara Brezza compact SUV to Toyota, the latter will supply the Corolla sedan to Suzuki. As per recent reports, Suzuki is planning to invest $1 Billion into Toyota’s Bidadi based production facility.
Both the companies plan to roll out four electric vehicles, which are reported to hit roads by 2020-21. The Indian arm of Suzuki, Maruti Suzuki has already started testing the electric version of the WagonR hatchback. The Maruti WagonR electric is likely to debut at the Move Summit that will be held in Delhi from September 7 to 8, 2018.
The report further suggests that around 50 prototype of the WagonR electric have already been developed at Maruti Suzuki’s Gurgaon based plant. The prototypes are currently being tested in Bengaluru and Mumbai. Read – Maruti Suzuki To Launch Toyota Corolla Based Sedan In India
Besides the pure electric vehicles, the Japanese carmakers will introduce a range of hybrid vehicles including Baleno, Vitara Brezza and Corolla. While the hybrid Baleno and Vitara Brezza will come with a lithium-ion battery pack and 12 volts system, the Corolla hybrid will use a more advanced 72 volt system.
The WagonR electric is likely to get the same 72 volt system combined with a battery capacity of 10-25 KWH. According to the report, the hybrid powertrain will also improve fuel efficiency of the vehicles by 5 to 45 per cent. Suzuki and Toyota are reported to use much better hybrid solutions for the Baleno and Vitara Brezza hybrid models by 2023, ranging from 48 to 72 volts.
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