Japanese automaker, Toyota has signed a MoU with the government of Karnataka to set up a third manufacturing plant in India. This third plant will increase Toyota’s production capacity by 1 lakh units per year. The company will invest around Rs 3,300 crores to set up this 3rd plant at Bidadi near Bangalore and will generate about 2,000 new jobs.
The other two Toyota’s manufacturing plants are also situated at Bidadi and have a combined output of about 4 lakh units per annum. The new production plant will be operational by 2026. The new manufacturing facility will act as a production base for an upcoming three-row SUV. The new SUV is most likely to be the 7-seater version of the Corolla Cross, which is on sale in several international markets.
Codenamed 340D, the new SUV is expected to launched by 2026. The Japanese automaker is likely to produce around 60,000 units of the new 3-row SUV annually. The new Toyota 7-seater SUV will be based on Toyota’s TNGA-C platform, which also underpins the Innova Hycross on sale in India. The new model will ride on a longer wheelbase compared to the Corolla Cross that has a wheelbase of 2,640mm. The wheelbase of the India-spec version is likely to ride on a 150mm longer wheelbase than the Corolla Cross. The longer wheelbase will allow Toyota to add a third row of seats.
The upcoming Toyota 3-row SUV will receive some design changes to differentiate itself from the Corolla Cross. The SUV could receive a new front fascia, featuring a plastic bumper, new headlamps and revised front grille. Adding to it, the longer wheelbase and addition of third row seat would result into a completely new rear profile.
The new Toyota 340D 7-seater SUV is likely to share the engine options with the Innova Hycross including a 2.0-litre petrol with a strong hybrid tech and a 2.0-litre petrol. Both manual and automatic gearbox options will be on offer. The new SUV is also likely to be exported to other markets as well.
