Toyota has announced the debut of yet another SUV that will expand its Urban Cruiser line-up internationally. Called the Toyota Urban Cruiser Icon, it will go on sale in Indonesia first, followed by other markets. The brand currently sells the Urban Cruiser Hyryder SUV in India and South Africa, which is a badge-engineered iteration of the Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara.
- New Toyota SUV will share underpinnings with the Raize
- Will come with petrol, petrol-hybrid powertrains
- Not expected to launch in India
New Toyota SUV: what is it?
Not to be mistaken by the now discontinued Urban Cruiser and the Urban Cruiser Hyryder that we know in India, the all-new Toyota Urban Cruiser Icon SUV will be a completely different vehicle. Internally codenamed D03B, it will be based on the Daihatsu DNGA platform that underpins models like the Toyota Avanza, the popular Toyota Raize SUV and a few others in markets like Indonesia and other ASEAN regions.
While it is being called the Urban Cruiser Icon by Toyota for now, sources tell us this new SUV could be called the “Yaris Cross” upon launch in Indonesia. Interestingly, Toyota already has an SUV by the name “Yaris Cross” in some international markets, and it is based on the TNGA-B architecture. This is completely different than the one that will debut next week, which will be longer and more spacious.
This new SUV from Toyota will sit above the Raize – that's four metres long – and will be around 4.3 metres long. It will be a five-seat SUV and is likely to share its wheelbase with the Avanza, which is 2,655mm. This could translate into more cabin space than its direct rival, the Hyundai Creta, which has a wheelbase of 2,610mm.
New Toyota SUV expected powertrain options
The new SUV will share its powertrains with the Raize and other Toyota models based on the DNGA platform. It will also come with Toyota’s 1.5-litre petrol engine with and without hybrid tech.
New Toyota SUV: will it come to India?
For the Indian market, Toyota is banking heavily on its partnership with Suzuki for models sold locally and the for exported. While the all-new SUV that will debut in Indonesia will have a lot in common with Toyota and Daihatsu models sold in the ASEAN market, it will not have anything in common with the Toyota India line-up, and thus, is not expected to launch here.
Toyota India, on the other hand, already has its hands full with the rising demand of the Urban Cruiser Hyryder in India, along with the Innova Hycross and the reintroduced Innova Crysta. Most of these models having waiting periods that extend between six months to a year.
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Dipan Sur
Viraaj Bhatnagar
Glenn Noronha
Dhruv Dhaka
