Toyota has been rebadging Maruti Suzuki cars and selling them as their own in the Indian market for some time now. This process gave birth to the likes of the Baleno-based Toyota Glanza and Vitara Brezza-based Toyota Urban Cruiser. Up next, as part of the global alliance between Toyota and Suzuki, there will be Ciaz-based rebadged Toyota sedan in India that will be called the Belta. In fact, the Ciaz-based Toyota Belta will be replacing the Toyota Yaris in the Indian market altogether, as both sedans belong to the same segment.
Following the upcoming mid-size sedan, there will be yet another Toyota rebadged Maruti Suzuki model that will most likely be an MPV. It is understood that the upcoming Toyota MPV will be based on the Maruti Suzuki Ertiga, which will also allow it to slot in right below the Innova Crysta in Toyota's own lineup. While there are not much details about what the Ertiga-based Toyota MPV will be called, or even how much differentiation there will be over the donor car, here we have a speculative rendering of how the Ertiga-based Toyota MPV could look like, as imagined by our in-house digital rendering artist Shoeb R. Kalania.
In our particular rendering of the Ertiga-based Toyota MPV, there isn't much differentiation from the donor car, much like we saw in case of the Baleno-Glanza. The most notable change of this Toyota MPV is a new design for the grille. Instead of the chrome-studded design on the Ertiga, this Toyota MPV gets a triple-slatted chrome grille with the Toyota logo sitting in between. Another notable change includes a new, more stylish, dual-tone design for the alloy wheels instead of the silver spoked design for the wheels available with the Ertiga.
Also Read : Toyota Belta is the New Honda City Rival, Based on Maruti Ciaz
That said, there could be more differentiation in terms of styling on the model that actually makes it to the market. In the Vitara Brezza-Urban Cruiser affair, we saw Toyota step up the differentiation from the donor car with a completely new bumper for the latter, giving it a much fresher look. With the Ertiga-based MPV, Toyota could take it even further, perhaps with new front and rear bumpers and even new headlamps and tail lamps. We, however, expect the interior to remain mostly unchanged along with the features on offer.
Under the hood, the Ertiga-based Toyota MPV will be identical to the Maruti Suzuki Ertiga. That means it will be powered by a 1.5L, four-cylinder, naturally aspirated petrol engine that produces 104 PS of maximum power and 138 Nm of peak torque. Transmission options will include either a 5-speed manual or a 4-speed torque converter automatic. What will be interesting to see is if Toyota offers their MPV in a CNG variant, just as Maruti Suzuki does with the Ertiga. As far as the launch timeline is concerned, Toyota's rebadged Ertiga is likely to be launched sometime in the second half of 2021.
Stay tuned to IndianAutosBlog.com for more Toyota updates and other four-wheeler news.
