Back in 2019, two Japanese automotive giants, namely Toyota and Suzuki joined hands to develop, manufacture and share models with each other. The same collaboration has blessed the world of wheels with the Toyota Glanza and the Urban Cruiser which are based on the Maruti Suzuki Baleno and Vitara Brezza respectively. The word on the streets is, Toyota is gearing up to launch yet another Maruti Suzuki ‘inspired’ product and this time around, it will be based on the maker’s highly popular sedan – the Ciaz.
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What makes this even more believable is the fact that Toyota has now gone ahead to register the name ‘Toyota Belta’ in India. It could mean that the new Belta is set to replace the Yaris sedan in Toyota’s portfolio.
What can we expect?
The Ciaz is one handsome looking sedan primarily renowned for its no-nonsense character and a spacious cabin. If Toyota actually goes ahead and launches a sedan based on the Ciaz, we can expect it to sport some exterior changes over the Ciaz. Toyota did it with the Glanza and the Urban Cruiser. It could make the Belta differentiate from the Ciaz by incorporating an updated bumper with a redesigned grille and a set of newly-designed alloys.
Set to be manufactured in the same factory as the one where Maruti Ciaz is made in India, the upcoming Toyota sedan will come powered by the same 1.5-litre mild-hybrid petrol engine that belts out a maximum power output of 103 bhp and 138 Nm of peak torque. As far as transmission options go, Toyota will offer the same choice between a five-speed manual gearbox and a four-speed automatic transmission.
On the other hand, the Toyota Yaris is powered by a 1.5-litre 4 Cylinder, 16 Valve Dual VVT-i petrol engine which churns out 107 PS at 6,000 rpm and 140 Nm at 4,200 rpm. This engine is coupled with either a 6-speed manual transmission or a 7-step Super CVT-i unit. The ARAI-rated fuel efficiency figure of the engine stands at 17.1 kmpl.
Currently, Ciaz is priced from Rs 8.42 lakh to Rs 11.33 lakh (ex-showroom) and is available in four trims- Sigma, Delta, Zeta and Alpha. Expect the Toyota counterpart to be offered at a slight premium with a slightly different trim level.