Maruti and Toyota will jointly manufacture their rival(s) to the Hyundai Creta from 2022 at Toyota’s Bidadi facility in Karnataka.
On Thursday, it came to light that Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza production will not take place at Bidadi and that another car will be assigned soon. It looks like both firms have decided to produce their Creta rivals at Toyota’s factory.
Hyundai Creta and Kia Seltos currently hold about 50 percent market share in the midsize SUV segment and the Japanese manufacturers would want to emulate the success of the Korean models.
The new midsize SUVs will be the first jointly developed model for India by the 2 Japanese manufacturers under their alliance and will be built using the Toyota DNGA platform (that underpins the Raize).
Toyota and Maruti will give the car their own makeover, while the mechanical bits will be identical, and will produce the Maruti Creta rival and its Toyota twin in plant 2 at Bidadi, which will be given to Maruti to manage.
Powering the cars would be Maruti’s 1.5-litre petrol engine and the mild-hybrid tech will be carried forward as well. It is possible that a turbo petrol offering might be considered, considering the Creta has such an engine.
It is evident that the Maruti Creta rival will replace the S-Cross and sit above the XL6 in the manufacturer’s range. For Toyota, the new midsize SUV will fill the price gap between the Urban Cruiser and the Innova Crysta and most likely rules out the C-HR’s India entry.
Maruti Creta Rival
- Maruti Creta rival to be manufactured at Toyota’s Bidadi facility
- Toyota will also make its own version of the midsize SUV
- It is likely to hit the market by the year 2022
Source – AutocarIndia.com