Toyota’s are well-known for their SUVs in the domestic as well as the international market and examples like the Fortuner have done very well in our country. Now this year, Daihatsu, which is owned by Toyota is likely to be developing a new compact-SUV and the parent brand will also have a version of the same which is likely to replace the Toyota Rush in some international markets.
The new SUV is likely to be based on the Daihatsu DN Trec Concept showcased in 2017 and the production version will be in the sub-4-metre category. The new SUV is speculated to be based on a version of Toyota’s TNGA platform, called DNGA (Daihatsu New Global Architecture). In terms of styling, the SUV is likely to get LED headlights, LED fog lights, LED tail lamps, flared wheel arches with plastic cladding, multi-spoke alloy wheels, roof rails, etc.
In the engine department, the compact-SUV is expected to come with a 1.0-litre, three-cylinder, petrol engine with two-wheel drive and four-wheel drive options. With four-wheel drive options, the compact rugged SUV will rival the Suzuki Jimny in some international markets and closer to home it will compete with the Mahindra XUV300, Tata Nexon, Ford EcoSport and Hyundai Venue.
Suzuki and Toyota have joined hands in India and the first product of the partnership is the Toyota Glanza, essentially a rebadged version of the Maruti Suzuki Baleno. It is also being reported that the association will soon be developing electric hybrid and fully electric cars for India. There will also be an all-new C-segment MPV that will be developed and sold by Maruti Suzuki and Toyota in India.
However, it was also known that Toyota will be using the Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza and selling it under their name in the African market. We wonder why a heavily reworked version of the Vitara Brezza cannot be developed for the Indian market, as badge engineering would make more sense than introducing an all-new model. And the Vitrara Brezza is already a proven product on our soil.
