It is no secret that Toyota and Suzuki are jointly working on affordable battery electric vehicles for India as well as other developing nations. Maruti Suzuki was regularly testing the Wagon R EV on the Indian roads. For the first time, Toyota’s version of the Wagon R EV has been spotted in our country. Here are the clear pictures of the electric hatchback, which is rumoured to be called the Toyota HYRYDER.
Toyota has already trademarked the HYRYDER nameplate in India. The interior spy image reveals that the electric vehicle gets the same black and beige scheme, which we have already seen on the regular WagonR. In fact, the centre console, dashboard and steering wheel are directly sourced from the Maruti’s hatchback. However, it gets modern automatic climate AC unit and an updated digital display and speedometer.
It comes with a central horizontal MID as against the circular unit on the right-hand side of the WagonR. The MID also shows different parameters including the range. Also visible is the single speed transmission and the vertical AC vents.
The Toyota Hyryder EV comes with noticeable exterior changes. Upfront is a split headlamp setup with LED lighting, and upgraded lower bumper that accommodates new LED fog lamps. The EV also gets shut-off front grille and closed air-intake in black shade.
The Toyota Hyryder retains the tall pillars and the clamshell bonnet structure from the WagonR hatchback. The electric vehicle gets blacked-out B and C-pillar. At the back, the hatchback gets the vertically stacked LED tail-lamps, new Toyota-badged black alloys and updated bumper with vertical reflectors.
There is no exhaust outlet at the rear, which shows it is a battery-powered hatchback. The spotted model looks like a production-ready car, which suggest that it is ready for the launch. We expect the electric vehicle to arrive by the end of this year.
The Toyota Hyryder is likely to feature a 72 volt electric drive with a 10-25 kWh lithium-ion battery pack, which was also used in the Maruti Suzuki Wagon R EV prototypes. It is likely to offer a driving range of around 180km on a single charge.
