Toyota and Suzuki have partnered to share each others’ Indian subsidiaries’ vehicles, and this agreement includes the Maruti Baleno. Automotive manipulator Kleber Silva has created renderings to show how the Toyota-badged Maruti Baleno may look like.
The models shared by Maruti Suzuki and Toyota Kirloskar Motor will likely follow the usual norm for rebadged vehicles. They are likely to have different front and rear fascias, with the former looking the more different of the two. The companies, in all probability, will change only the soft parts of the cars, such as the bumpers, lights, and grille. On the sides, the rebadged model may have unique alloy wheels. Sheet metal changes are unlikely, as they would lead to higher development and production costs.
The Toyota-badged Baleno rendered here has a front fascia heavily inspired by that of the North American-spec eleventh generation Toyota Corolla, the old model’s S grade to be more specific. At the rear, the tail lamps are from the same model, but from the one after the mid-life update. No major interior differences are expected between the Maruti Baleno and its Toyota-badged version.
Also Read: Toyota Vitara Brezza & Toyota Baleno to be priced at par with their donors
The Toyota-badged Maruti Baleno will likely come with the same engines and transmissions as the Baleno. Right now, this would mean a 1.2-litre petrol engine paired with a 5-speed manual transmission or a CVT and a 1.3-litre diesel engine coupled to a 5-speed manual transmission. However, the launch will take place in Q2 2019 or later. Before that time, the Maruti Baleno could receive its mid-cycle refresh and swap the Fiat-sourced diesel engine with a new Suzuki-developed, BSVI-compliant 1.5-litre diesel engine.
[Image Source: Behance]
