Toyota India has filed a trademark for the name ‘Urban Cruiser Taisor’, which now strongly hints at the possibility of the brand re-entering the sub-4-metre SUV segment. This move comes nine months after Toyota discontinued its version of the Maruti Suzuki Brezza, the Urban Cruiser. This will be the fifth model that is shared between the brands.
- Urban Cruiser Taisor could be Toyota's version of the Fronx
- No Toyota compact SUV since Urban Cruiser was discontinued in 2022
Toyota Urban Cruiser Taisor trademark filed
Toyota is set to launch a compact SUV based on the Maruti Suzuki Fronx, and we believe this could be called the Urban Cruiser Taisor. If it is indeed based on the Fronx, this could be the replacement for the Urban Cruiser that was discontinued last year due to the large premium that the Toyota model demanded over its Maruti Suzuki counterpart.
As seen with other models shared between the brands, we can expect minimal exterior changes other than reprofiled bumpers, differently styled wheels and changed lighting elements. On the inside, the brands usually share the dashboard designs, while upholstery and colour options vary.
The Fronx has two engines on offer – a 1.0-litre BoosterJet unit that makes 100hp and 147Nm, and a 90hp naturally aspirated 1.2-litre petrol engine. Both of these engines are available with a 5-speed manual transmission, however, the turbocharged unit gets a 6-speed torque converter gearbox and the 1.2-litre units get the option of a 5-speed AMT.
We recently reviewed the 1.2-litre Maruti Fronx and we learnt that this model is more popular among buyers in spite of being down on power. Over 80 percent of Fronx buyers opt for this engine, and it remains to be seen if Toyota chooses to sell only this engine option on the Urban Cruiser Taisor, or if it also offers the Boosterjet. If it does, then it could be the first turbo-petrol motor in Toyota’s line-up that’s primarily dominated by hybrids and diesels. The Fronx is also available with a CNG powertrain option and this should carry over to the Toyota derivative as well.
The Maruti Fronx gets a 9-inch touchscreen and the top-spec variants get features like a leather-wrapped steering wheel, 360-degree camera, heads-up display, wireless charging, connected car tech and six airbags.
Toyota could launch the Urban Cruiser Taisor by the festive season this year.
Toyota-Maruti Suzuki collaborations
The Maruti Suzuki-Toyota collaboration first started with the Baleno, which Toyota rebadges and sells as the Glanza. This model is still going strong and, last month, it was Toyota's second highest-selling model. The collaboration continued with the Urban Cruiser, based on the Brezza, and later came the the Hyryder and Grand Vitara midsize SUV duo. More recently, Maruti Suzuki took the popular Innova Hycross and rebadged it as the Invicto, which, since launch on July 5, has already sold over 750 units.
Toyota today revealed the Maruti Suzuki Ertiga-based Rumion MPV, and the carmaker will also launch the Vellfire in India soon.
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