Lately, Toyota has been rebadging Maruti products and selling them in the Indian market. The Toyota Glanza and the Urban Cruiser are the outcomes of this process. Now, Toyota is planning to introduce a repurposed version of the Maruti Ciaz to replace the Yaris. Further confirming this news are spy pictures of the Ciaz’s radiator grille with a Toyota logo. Moreover, Toyota has recently filed a trademark registration for the ‘Belta’ name, which is expected to be the name that Toyota-badged Maruti Ciaz will be known as.
Since Toyota hasn’t tasted success in the Indian market yet, in terms of small cars sales, rebadging the highest-selling Maruti products comes up as a great rescue. Once launched, the Toyota Belta will challenge the likes of Honda City and the Maruti Ciaz itself. In terms of design, the Toyota-badged Maruti Ciaz is expected to retain its design, with the new badge being the only difference. The new badge will be seen on the radiator grille, boot lid, wheel hubs, steering wheel, key fob and more.
Talking of the features, the Toyota Belta will get a similar equipment list as the Maruti Ciaz. The list includes LED headlamps with DRLs, touchscreen infotainment unit with Android Auto & Apple CarPlay, multi-function steering wheel, keyless entry & go, automatic climate control, rear AC vents, front centre armrest, rear-seat armrest and more. Additionally, Toyota’s iteration of the Ciaz might get a lot of these features as standard across the range.
For the safety of the occupants, the Ciaz comes standard with dual front airbags, ABS with EBD, rear parking sensors, high-speed alerts, seat belt alarm, and load limiters & pre-tensioners for seat belts. Similarly, the Belta will also get these features as standard fitment across the range.
Also Read - Maruti Ciaz to Replace Toyota Yaris in TKM’s Catalogue
Powering the Toyota Belta will be the 1.5L K-Series petrol motor that does duties on the Urban Cruiser (rebadged Maruti Vitara Brezza) and Maruti Ciaz. It is capable of dishing out a peak power output of 105 PS and max torque of 138 Nm and can be had mated to either a 5-speed MT or a 4-speed AT. While the prices of Maruti Ciaz start at INR 8.42 lakh, expect the Toyota-badged iteration to go on sale with a price premium.
Stay tuned to IndianAutosBlog.com for more Toyota updates and other four-wheeler news.
