Toyota Taisor to be sold as Starlet Cross overseas

Toyota recently launched the Toyota Urban Cruiser Taisor in India, and sources now say that the made-in-India SUV will be rebadged and sold as the Toyota Starlet Cross in international markets. The Taisor is essentially a rebadged Maruti Fronx with some brand-specific design tweaks.

1. South Africa to get made-in-India Taisor
2. Could get 1.5-litre petrol engine
3. Glanza sold as Toyota Starlet in South Africa

Toyota Taisor to be sold as Starlet Cross in South Africa

As reported by cars.co.za, the made-in-India Glanza is sold in South Africa as the Starlet, so the Taisor will sell under the Starlet Cross moniker there. The Toyota Starlet has been a popular marque for the Japanese brand, and is an entry-level hatchback in many international markets.

The Starlet Cross will join a long list of rebadged made-in-India products sold by Toyota in South Africa, and just like the Fronx, the Starlet Cross will be built at Maruti Suzuki’s Gujarat plant for domestic and export markets.

Toyota Starlet Cross will get 1.5-litre K15B petrol

One of the major differences, apart from the different name, will be the 1.5-litre petrol engine that will see duty on the Starlet Cross. This engine is also seen on the Fronx, Baleno and Glanza sold in South Africa. The 1.2-litre naturally aspirated petrol and the 1.0-litre turbo-petrol engine options, which are available on the Fronx and the Taisor in India, are not available in the export market.

The South African-spec models get the older K15B 1.5-litre engine and not the new K15C Dual Jet powerplants that's on offer on same models in India. The K15B engine in India is currently only available on the Jimny at the moment, churns out 105hp and 134Nm of torque, and is mated to either a 5-speed manual or a 4-speed automatic. As far as features are concerned, the equipment list is expected to look identical to the Indian model.

Made-in-India Toyota models in South Africa

There is a long list of made-in-India Toyota models sold in South Africa: Maruti Celerio-based Vitz hatchback, the Baleno-based Glanza hatchback, the Ertiga-based Rumion MPV and the Urban Cruiser Hyryder. Most of these are being supplied by Suzuki as part of the Toyota-Suzuki global partnership.