Toyota Kirloskar Motor recently filed a trademark for ‘Urban Cruiser’ (most likely the rebadged Vitara Brezza)
It is not news that Toyota Kirloskar Motor is working on a rebadged version of the Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza subcompact crossover. At present, the Toyota Glanza hatchback (Maruti Suzuki Baleno with a Toyota badge) is the most affordable product in the Japanese brand’s Indian portfolio. Toyota has discontinued the Etios range ahead of India’s shift to BS6 emission norms.
The joint venture between Toyota Kirloskar Motor and Maruti Suzuki is aimed to mutually benefit either automaker in two different price segments. For instance, Maruti Suzuki is strong in the budget segment while Toyota has a major presence in the premium segment. With the Glanza, Toyota has gained interest in the affordable category while Maruti Suzuki would eventually find buyers in higher segments through rebadged avatars of existing Toyota products.
Now, Maruti Suzuki has officially approved Toyota’s plans for a product based on the Vitara Brezza. It was only recently that we shared a trademark application for the name ‘Urban Cruiser’.
The application dates back to June 2018. It is listed as ‘Automobiles and structural goods thereof’ under the section, ‘Goods & Services Description’. Besides the fact that it confirms a new Toyota product, reports state that it would most likely be the rebadged Vitara Brezza.
Once launched, it will take on the popular likes of Tata Motors’ Nexon, Mahindra’s XUV300, Hyundai’s Venue and of course, its donor Maruti Suzuki product. Even Kia Motors and Nissan will join the sub-four-metre ‘compact SUV’ race in the months to come (Kia Sonet and Nissan Magnite).
The upcoming Kia Sonet was showcased as a concept at Auto Expo 2020 and was spotted on multiple occasions in test mule format while Nissan India is yet to name its new crossover offering despite sharing an official teaser.
Powering the Toyota Urban Cruiser (if it is indeed the final name) will be Maruti Suzuki’s familiar K15B 1.5-litre four-cylinder NA petrol engine in BS6 format. Across the Indian automaker’s line-up, the engine makes roughly 103bhp and 138Nm of torque. Power is sent to the front wheels via a 5-speed manual or 4-speed TC automatic transmission.
The ongoing COVID-19 crisis has brought about a lot of uncertainty in the Indian automotive industry. For the same reason, Toyota may not be able to meet the launch timeline it has initially planned. Certain sources claim that its exteriors would be considerably different from the Vitara Brezza to go in line with the latest Toyota models sold globally.