Delhi - Toyota and Maruti Suzuki of India are co-developing another new product, but this one is somewhat different to what we’ve seen before.
According to Autocar India, Toyota and Suzuki are developing a new midsize SUV contender in India. Slotting above the Vitara Brezza, it will go head-to-head with rivals such as the Hyundai Creta and Kia Seltos.
But unlike current models like the Toyota Urban Cruiser and Starlet, which are essentially just clones of their Suzuki counterparts, the new Creta rival will be built by Toyota and underpinned by its DNGA modular platform, Autocar reports.
The Indian publication further states that the new shared products will boast clearly differentiated styling. We’ll have to wait until later this year to see what the new products will look like in the flesh but the spy pictures below, posted by Autocar India on Twitter, show a large upright grille, split headlights and a raked rear profile.
Maruti Suzuki is readying an all-new challenger to take on the Hyundai Creta. Here’s all that we know about the upcoming midsize SUV so far: https://t.co/jluEJ3JM6x
The new models will reportedly feature a Toyota-sourced hybrid powertrain, and as with the new Suzuki Baleno, a feature-packed cabin is a given.
As yet there is no word on whether these products are heading to South Africa, but we’d deem it likely that at the very least the Suzuki version will be offered here.
Bringing in the Toyota version could prove more problematic, however, given that it could potentially clash with the bargain-priced Toyota Corolla Cross, which currently starts at R349 900.