Toyota Kirloskar Motor will be introducing a new subcompact SUV in the country and has now officially confirmed the nameplate of its upcoming offering. It will be called the Toyota Urban Cruiser and it is likely go on sale this month itself. The Urban Cruiser is the re-badged version of the Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza and the second badge-engineered model from the Toyota-Suzuki partnership after the Toyota Glanza, based on the Maruti Suzuki Baleno. The first teaser image not only confirms the name but also give a small glimpse at the Toyota grille on the model. Expect prices to start around Rs. 8.35 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi).
Also Read: Toyota To Launch New Subcompact SUV This Festive Season; Based On Vitara Brezza
Commenting on the foray into the subcompact SUV segment, Naveen Soni, Senior Vice President, Sales and Services, TKM, said, "We are very excited to announce our plans to launch the Toyota Urban Cruiser this festive season. With a customer-first approach, TKM has always endeavoured to fulfil the aspirations of its customers with timely introduction of new products and the Toyota Urban Cruiser is another such effort to satisfy the evolving customer needs. Also, we hope that the Urban Cruiser gives us an opportunity to welcome a new set of customers who not only aspire to own a Toyota SUV early in life, but would also like to experience Toyota's global standards of sales & after-sales services. We will share more details about the car and the
launch in the days to come."
The Toyota Urban Cruiser's overall silhouette will remain identical to the Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza
The Toyota Urban Cruiser will be the brand's most affordable SUV to go on sale in India and marks the entry of the Japanese automaker in the highly competitive sub-4-metre SUV segment. The brand is also trying to leverage the Land Cruiser heritage with its newest SUV offering in this space. The teaser reveals a Toyota Fortuner-inspired grille on the subcompact SUV with the dual chrome slats and the brand logo in the centre. Expect to see a reworked bumper and headlamps, while we could see new alloy wheels to differentiate the model better from the Vitara Brezza. The overall silhouette remains identical to the Maruti Suzuki offering, while we expect subtle changes to the rear profile of the model.
The Toyota Urban Cruiser will be sharing its underpinnings with the Vitara Brezza including the 1.5-litre K-Series petrol engine with SHVS mild-hybrid technology. The motor develops 104 bhp and 138 Nm of peak torque, paired with a 5-speed manual and a 4-speed torque converter automatic transmission. The feature list too will remain identical comprising the touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android auto, large MID unit, automatic climate control, projector lens headlamps with LED daytime running lights, and a whole lot more. There won't be a diesel engine on offer.
Also Read: Car Sales July 2020: Toyota Registers Degrowth Of 48%
The cabin will remain feature-loaded like the Vitara Brezza but could see mild tweaks for a more Toyota-like appearance
Going by Toyota's previous approach, the upcoming Urban Cruiser could be sold in limited but feature-loaded variants that will compete against the VXi and ZXi versions of the Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza. The model will also take on some extremely popular models in this space including the Hyundai Venue, Mahindra XUV300, Ford EcoSport, Tata Nexon, as well as the upcoming Kia Sonet and Nissan Magnite. However, for aspiring customers that want to join the Toyota family at a sub Rs. 10 lakh price point, the Urban Cruiser will be an attractive proposition in-line with the growing preference for SUVs.
