We informed you earlier that Toyota and Suzuki has joined hands to develop vehicles for the Indian market. Maruti will provide Brezza and Baleno to Toyota, while Toyota will provide the Corolla Altis to Maruti. TKM will see rebadged vehicle sourced from Indo-Japanese brand in the Indian market. If latest reports are to be believed, Toyota is planning to further increase the local content of these models to achieve aggressive pricing.
The report further claims that 98% of the Maruti Vitara Brezza’s parts are locally sourced, while the Maruti Baleno comes with even higher local components. Speaking to PTI, TKM Vice President Atsushi Oki said, “Toyota will further boost their outlook on components localisation in support to ‘Make in India’ initiative, to achieve cost-effectiveness,”. Also See – Toyota To Develop Suzuki Models In India
The company is yet to confirm the exact launch details of the Toyota-badged Maruti Vitara Brezza and Maruti Baleno. Maruti will launch the re-badged Toyota Corolla, which will be positioned above the Maruti Ciaz. Adding to it, both manufacturers will also work on electric cars for Indian market. Previous reports claim that the first of the three shared models will be launched in the second quarter of 2019. Also Read – Toyota compact SUV and hatchback based on Vitara Brezza & Baleno coming soon
All three models that will be re-badged will come with different front and rear ends. These models are likely to come with newly developed bumpers, grille and lights; however, the sheet metals will remain unchanged. The Toyota-badged Maruti Vitara Brezza and Baleno will have no mechanical changes, and will continue with the same engines and transmissions. Also See – Maruti To Launch Toyota Corolla based sedan in India
Toyota’s version of Baleno and Brezza are expected to be priced slightly higher than the Maruti’s. With rebadged Brezza, Toyota will aim to mark entry into the growing sub-4 meter SUVs. On the other hand, the rebadged Baleno will be positioned above the Toyota Etios which failed to live up to the company’s expectation.
