The production of the Toyota Belta will be handled by Maruti
Production of the soon-to-be launched Toyota Belta has begun at Maruti Suzuki’s manufacturing plant at Manesar, in Haryana.
The Belta, which is essentially the Maruti Ciaz, will be the third rebadged model, following the Glanza and Urban Cruiser, to be launched under the Maruti Suzuki-Toyota partnership in India.
This particular example which was painted in a colour similar to the Pearl Sangria Red shade that the Ciaz is offered in, had a restyled radiator grille with the Toyota emblem at its centre.
Expect the Toyota Belta to come with different alloy wheels as well. But, there should be no other visible changes on the C-segment sedan.
Stepping inside, one would see Maruti logos replaced with Toyota emblems and there should be a different upholstery for the seats. However, the Ciaz and Belta are likely to come with an identical list of features.
Thus, expect to see a 7-inch infotainment touchscreen with navigation, Bluetooth, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity, multifunctional steering wheel, auto AC, cruise control, keyless entry, among other features to be offered.
Powering the Toyota Belta would be the 1.5-litre petrol engine with mild-hybrid assist. The unit will make 103 BHP and 138 Nm of torque, as it does in the Ciaz, and can be mated to either a 5-speed manual gearbox or a 4-speed automatic transmission.
In terms of safety, the car should come with dual front airbags, ABS with EBD, ESP with hill hold assist (automatic models only), ISOFIX mounts and a reverse camera with rear parking sensors.
Since the Toyota Belta production has commenced, the market introduction of the vehicle should take place in the coming weeks, post which the Toyota Yaris could very well be discontinued.