Toyota has been selling the Innova Crysta and Innova Hycross concurrently since launching the latter in late 2022. However, this arrangement will come to an end with the Innova Crysta’s discontinuation in early 2027, a decision made in the interest of adhering to the stringent upcoming CAFE 3 emission norms.
This will leave a substantial void in Toyota’s model line-up, especially for fleet operators. To that end, Toyota plans to plug this gap with a lower-spec hybrid version of the Innova Hycross.
Decontented Toyota Innova Hycross hybrid to serve as Crysta successor
In a bid to appeal to fleet operators, Toyota is looking to introduce a pared-back Innova Hycross hybrid as the Crysta’s replacement. It’s expected to strip away much of the Innova Hycross hybrid’s bells and whistles in favour of achieving a more affordable price point, though the extent of both is unknown at the time of writing.
The motive behind the decontented Toyota Innova Hycross hybrid
The Innova Crysta is incredibly popular with fleet operators thanks to its punchy yet frugal diesel engine, simple body-on-frame construction and Toyota’s fabled reputation for reliability. However, the newer, monocoque-based Innova Hycross hasn’t quite resonated with fleet operators to the same extent for a key reason: the dilemma between upfront pricing and running costs.
Under the bonnet, the Innova Hycross can be had with a 173hp 2.0-litre petrol engine mated to a CVT automatic or a 184hp 2.0-litre petrol-hybrid setup paired with an e-CVT. Of the two powertrains, the former is cheaper up front, but in our real-world mileage test, the Innova Hycross petrol AT delivered a mere 9.7kpl (average). This is not ideal for a fleet car meant to be driven frequently and often for extended periods of time.
On the other hand, our real-world mileage test of the Innova Hycross hybrid yielded a fuel efficiency of 14.6kpl. Mileage figures like these are more in line with what fleet operators expect, but it comes at a hefty premium over the pure-petrol powertrain.
The base Innova Hycross hybrid VX 7-seater is priced at Rs 26.3 lakh – nearly Rs 8 lakh more than the entry-level petrol variant, and the gap rises to nearly Rs 11 lakh for both powertrains’ respective top-spec variants.
Therefore, Toyota will have to substantially reduce the Innova Hycross hybrid’s starting price with a decontented version if it wants to solve the aforementioned dilemma faced by the fleet operators.
All prices are ex-showroom, India.