Toyota Urban Cruiser – compact SUV confirmed for India, built by Maruti Suzuki, based on Vitara Brezza

India has been expecting a compact Toyota SUV based on the Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza for some time now, and here it is, confirmed as the Toyota Urban Cruiser. The above image is a teaser released by Toyota India, with the name of the new model and the coming soon message.

Toyota rebadging a Suzuki? Yup, that’s right. This is the second Toyota model in India to be based on a Suzuki – the first was the Toyota Glanza from 2019, which was literally just a rebadge of the Suzuki Baleno five-door hatch. Like the Glanza, the Urban Cruiser will be built by Maruti Suzuki, India’s market leader.

All this follows the plan that was signed in 2018 that will see Toyota and Suzuki provide a mutual supply of models for the Indian market. Maruti will provide the Baleno and Vitara Brezza, while the Corolla Altis will go the other way. This is an alternative to developing new models from the ground up.

According to Autocar India, unlike the Glanza, the Urban Cruiser will get unique front styling and interior parts for a more distinctive identity. The small SUV’s face will be in line with the Toyota SUV family, but the Urban Cruiser will share sheet metal with the Maruti. The publication adds that the Toyota is expected to have a lighter-coloured cabin theme than the Brezza’s black.

Toyota’s entry into the hot sub-4m SUV class will use the same 1.5L K-Series engine as the latest Vitara Brezza, which does 103 hp/138 Nm. Apparently, the “Smart Hybrid” mild hybrid system will be available with both 5MT and 4AT transmissions in the Toyota – Maruti offers it on the auto only.

By the way, the Urban Cruiser name has been used before by Toyota in the noughties, and this is what it was.

GALLERY: Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza

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