It's no surprise that Toyota is planning to introduce the Maruti Suzuki Ciaz-based compact sedan in the Indian market. To be called the Toyota Belta, the new offering will step in place of the now-discontinued Toyota Yaris and is likely to go on sale in India in 2022. Ahead of its domestic debut, the Toyota Belta has been fully revealed for the Middle-East markets. The made-in-India compact sedan is exported to the market and is essentially a rebadged Ciaz sedan and will carry the same mechanicals and features as the Maruti version.
Also Read: Ciaz-Based Toyota Belta Sedan For The Export Market Spotted In India
There's no word on the India launch of the Toyota Belta yet
The big change though is the slightly tweaked grille that now carries the Toyota logo instead of the big S. However, that's pretty much the only change per se. In all fairness, Toyota made a more conscious effort on the Glanza and the Urban Cruiser that received more distinctly different grilles over their Maruti counterparts. Everything else remains the same including the projector lens headlamps with DRLs, LED combination taillights, fog lamp housing, alloy wheel design and more.
The story stays the same in the cabin too. The dashboard layout is the same barring for the logo swap on the steering wheel. The Belta uses the same 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system, multi-function steering wheel, auto climate control, and dual pod instrument console with a MID unit in the centre.
The Toyota Belta gets the same interior layout and features
The Toyota Belta also uses the familiar 1.5-litre, four-cylinder petrol engine that belts out 103 bhp and 138 Nm of peak torque. The Middle East model though gets only the 4-speed torque converter automatic, while Toyota will offer the 5-speed manual in India.
Toyota is yet to announce the India launch of the Belta and we do expect to take place in the first half of 2022. The company will also introduce the Rumion MPV, which is the rebadged Maruti Suzuki Ertiga that recently went on sale in South Africa. The rebadged cars are a part of the Suzuki-Toyota partnership that will see more cars being cross-badged in the interest of economies of scale. While Toyota gets access to Maruti's affordable small car line-up, Suzuki gets access to Toyota's more premium cars. Maruti Suzuki though is yet to retail a rebadged Toyota in India.
Source: Autocar India
