We know that Toyota and Maruti Suzuki have a very good partnership. The carmakers are selling each others cars with different names and at the same time collaborating on development of new vehicles like the Urban Cruiser Hycross / Grand Vitara. Here in India, Maruti is gearing up to launch the Innova Hycross under its banner as well, but let us take a look at what is happening in South Africa.
Toyota Vitz is nothing but rebadged Maruti Celerio
Now, Toyota has showcased the Vitz, which we all know as the Celerio. The small hatch is expected to sit as the entry-level product in Toyota’s portfolio. The Vitz name is also interesting. This is due to the fact that previously, Toyota used this for the Yaris hatchbacks, but now the same will be used in the case of the new Celerio.
Toyota unveiled the Vitz at the State of Motor Industry (SOMI) event, held in Johannesburg. South Africa will be the first country to get this rebranded Celerio in the name of Vitz. While the car was just showcased, the launch is scheduled for the Q2 2023.
As Maruti already sells the Celerio in the local South African market, we can safely assume that Toyota too will price it in the same range. The Celerio is priced between INR 8.46 lakh to INR 10.11 lakh in South Africa.
Thus the Vitz will undercut the current Toyota’s lowest priced model, the Agya. Toyota has priced the Agya from INR 9.45 lakh.
Toyota-Maruti Suzuki partnership not restricted to just India
In the South African market, Toyota is already selling products like the Starlet (based on Baleno), Urban Cruiser (Vitara Brezza) and the Rumion (Ertiga). All these are manufactured in India and procured from Maruti themselves.
Maruti Celerio in India
The Celerio is powered by a new 1.0-litre K10C three-cylinder petrol engine. This engine gets the latest dual-jet technology and VVT valvetrain. The brand also offers an automatic start/stop system to improve the efficiency of the motor. The motor produces 65.7 HP of power and 89 Nm of torque. Customers can opt for a 5-speed manual or an AMT gearbox. Maruti also offers a CNG variant albeit in the manual transmission option only.
Also Read – Maruti Suzuki Celerio CNG launched in india with 35.60 mileage.
