Toyota and Suzuki have tied up to increase their market share in the nation. A rebadged Vitara Bezza, Baleno and Corolla Altis expected to hit showrooms soon.
Two of the largest automakers in India have tied up to further increase their sales and network in the nation. Suzuki and Toyota decided to strengthen their business partnership in February last year. The agreement includes sharing some volume models between the automakers in India. Toyota will soon start selling the Suzuki Vitara Brezza via its dealerships across India soon. The rebadged Maruti Vitara Brezza is expected to feature a Toyota Badge and perhaps a revised grille design. The changes will be limited to rebadging only. The price difference is going to be negligible with the Toyota expected to demand premium pricing.
The new Maruti Vitara Brezza or shall we call it Toyota Vitara Brezza is expected to launch in the coming months. Reports suggest that Baleno will also be rebadged and sold via Toyota dealerships as well. The announcement comes as a surprise as Toyota India MD, Akito Tachibana claimed that the company is developing a global SUV for our market. The model mentioned is supposed to fall directly in the INR 10 – INR 15 lakh price range.
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Since the Etios twins have been a slow seller for Toyota, several hot models from Suzuki would spice up its inventory in the nation. The Maruti Vitara Brezza and Baleno will help Toyota in pushing the sales of its other products as well. The Toyota badged Baleno would give the company an edge among other B-segment hatchbacks. Reports on the web suggest that Toyota will initially source about 30,000-50,000 units of the Baleno and Maruti Vitara Brezza starting this year itself.
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As Suzuki is providing with the Maruti Vitara Brezza and the Baleno, it expects the Corolla and Corolla Hybrid in return. Both the sedans will be sold via the Nexa outlets and would provide a good upgrade option for Ciaz owners. The rebadged Suzuki Corolla will be offered in both petrol and hybrid variants. While the petrol model is expected to launch this year itself, the customers will have to wait a while before the hybrid variant is launched.
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The sharing of models is a part of the agreement and Suzuki will also be manufacturing the hybrid tech in India. Since various components like battery and motor have to be imported, electric and hybrid vehicles cost a lot in India. Suzuki plans to manufacture every bit of their upcoming hybrid cars locally to launch them at a competitive price. Toyota will be supplying 10,000 units of the Corolla to Suzuki initially. The Corolla hybrid might be able to finally attract the customers, specifically the ones Kizashi failed to impress.
Stay tuned for more info on upcoming Suzuki Toyota Cars and SUV.
Source – Financial Express
